The Quest For The Cestus Apple
by Cassie's Neighbor
Summary: A story where Annabeth Chase eats a mystical fruit that makes her fall madly in love with the first person she sees. Now Percy Jackson must find a cure to get his best friend back, survive another myth and discover the ambiguities of love and passion.
1. Annabeth Eats An Apple

**Hi. I'm back with another story for you. This is something that's been bugging me for a while and I finally decided that I should type it down and post it for the whole world to see. My plan was to make a Luke-centric oneshot, but I feel that I haven't clicked with Luke's personality yet. I want to make one because I want to explore outside of the overused PercyxAnnabeth themes but for now, tada! It's another Percabeth story.**

**Enjoy!**

**Note: This story happened after the Last Olympian, but no relationship trains. In plain English, Percy and Annabeth never got together. So yeah. That's pretty much it.**

**Special thanks to:**

**storyteller1425 - for the amazing beta. You know I'm running out of words to describe how awesome this author is. If you want to verify, please click on her profile and read her stories. You'll be amazed, I'm sure.  
**

**Story Music Pick - **Fire by Augustana

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**The Quest For The Cestus Apple**

Chapter 1: Annabeth Eats An Apple

* * *

_It is with our passions as it is with fire and water; they are good servants, but bad masters. ~Roger L'Estrange_

* * *

Peering at the tranquility, the goddess chuckled.

Causing indecision, madness, and conflict was her specialty and a brilliant goddess in that.

Eris lightly swirled the water with her fingertips as she took a shining scarlet-colored apple. She gazed at it in awe. How wonderful the apple was. Small, seemingly harmless but devilishly beautiful and destructive in its own way. Irresistible. An apple. Always an apple for a simple trick.

Eris smiled at the reflection of the girl she was about to target now. Curly blond hair, running across the fields in tennis shoes, not expecting the little plan Eris had been waiting to unfold. And yes, in perfect condition. She would be a perfect test subject for her little scheme. Not diabolical enough, but bigger things do start in smaller things. Just one bite and it'd all be over…

"Dissonance is sweet," Eris dropped the apple on the fountain, watching it plop and fall almost eternally below, watching the curious girl pick it up critically.

* * *

Annabeth was doing her daily jog around the secluded woods of Camp Half-Blood, her shoes trotting and trashing with the green, green grass. She whistled under her breath and jogged even faster, trying to keep up and build endurance as she went on. Jogging made her feel like she accomplished something, made her feel worthwhile. Daedalus' laptop had gotten her preoccupied for two summers and in-between, and seeing herself as a gods forsaken couch potato, she decided that she needed to burn the extra flab and cholesterol. Sometimes, if she got lucky – or unlucky – she would run into a monster (she jogged outside the camp's boundaries from time to time). Unsheathing the celestial bronze dagger she constantly hid in her shirt sleeve, she'd gut the monster, the effort adding to the exercise. Real fun.

But today, nothing seemed to be out of place. The sun was almost setting and she began to think about how long she was out running around outside camp. Too late even for an adamant jogger like her. Turning around, she headed back to the camp dining pavilion, seeking the added comfort of her cabin bed. She had had enough today.

Everything suddenly went into a total blur when an apple fell right out of the sky. An apple falling right out of the sky. A classic.

Slowing down, she picked the thing up and did a quick check-up.

She glanced around the fields, wondering which tree the apple might have fallen off of. The nearest tree was a good ten feet away and it wasn't actually a fruit-bearing one. Unless the wind was unusually strong and hectic enough to the apple off a tree a mile from here, the apple seemed to have just… appear out of thin air and fall down from space. Annabeth looked at the apple skeptically, seeing a hazy reflection of her face glow from the apple's skin. If the gods were messing with her today, well… they picked the wrong gal to mess with.

But then, her stomach rumbled. She clasped her mid section abruptly. She hadn't taken any lunch today and she was getting really, really hungry right now. This is convenient, Annabeth thought. A flying apple happened to land on her feet just when she was about to pass out from hunger.

Too convenient actually.

The apple was teasing her. _Are you going to take a bite or not?_

She sighed. She was getting paranoid, and all it took was a visit from a hideously delicious-looking fruit during an ordinary day of exercise.

And yes, it is stated in the non-existent handbook for demigods about not eating any suspicious looking fruits that you pass by on your travels. But then, her stomach rumbled even more and she couldn't take it. Knowing she'd regret this later, she bit a huge chunk from the apple, its skin releasing a squirt of juices. Licking her upper lip, she almost heard herself sigh in satisfaction. The fruit was good. Really good. She took another bite until she loaded herself with the apple, leaving it with only a skinny core. She sighed again and to her surprise, she felt instantly full. The apple was amazing. Surely a fruit that tasted that good wasn't meant to do any harm.

She felt instantly giddy and restless, that she could jog another ten miles. She felt so hot and energized that she couldn't wait to get back to camp. A god, or at least her mother Athena might have sent her a strength-boosting apple or some nonsense. But a deep and burrowed voice from the back of her head spoke otherwise, saying that she was in deep crap trouble now.

Ignoring the nagging voice inside her head, Annabeth straightened herself, threw the once happy apple on the grass as she jogged back to camp, feeling ecstatic. The apple core rolled down the grass and slipped off the cliff, going down, down, down the lake water as it went.

* * *

Percy had been throwing his best acquired barbeque from the brazier and eating himself to fullness when Annabeth arrived. She looked happy, and that was really saying something. Ever since the Titan war ended, Annabeth became a real cranky camper, turning into the exact opposite of what Percy imagined she would be after the whole mess got resolved. They lost contact during the school year; she was too busy with the rebuilding efforts on Olympus, and he was too busy trying not to flunk his junior year at Goode High. Irritated, Annabeth told him she wasn't angry at him or at anybody else after all his nags about how she never answered his calls. Could've fooled him, with all the glares she sent everyone walking on her path.

Knowing Annabeth was back from her day-to-day jog, he instantly knew he caught her in a good mood and decided to talk to her about borrowing some of her stuff to do his assignments. Goode High was hell-bent on torturing their students to death. The teachers constantly gave them homework even during school break. _Goode is good! We prepare to excel early. _Percy snorted at the thought.

"Uh, hey Annabeth," Percy ran after her. His chest heaved up and down exhaustedly. He really needed to follow Annabeth's example and bust up his cardio. "Can I talk to you?"

Annabeth whirled around to face him. One look on her face, and Percy knew something was wrong.

Her face was flushed, cheeks rosy. On blushing mode. Percy expected that coming from a whole day of jogging. But it was a different kind of red color. The tint was way off, and it seemed to him that Annabeth was… glowing. She was smiling a smile Percy hadn't seen in a long time. And as he took another step closer, the glare of the full moon made Annabeth's pupils look dilated. Altogether, it seemed like she was just extracted from a wave of pure frenzy and he had a weird feeling it was directed to him.

"Percy!" she said his name exultantly. "Hi!"

"Uh yeah," Percy replied, finding Annabeth's newfound cheerfulness a little bit strange. "How's the jog?"

"Oh, it was wonderful! I had an absolutely wonderful time," she giggled an un-Annbeth giggle. "Thank you for asking."

"Are you feeling alright?"

She sighed at him in content. "I feel _wonderful_." She announced the last word, emphasizing it.

Unconvinced, he checked her temperature, putting his palm on her forehead. He pulled away instantly. "Man, Annabeth! You're burning hot! Are you sick or something?"

"I feel wonderful," she said.

"No, seriously. Is there something wrong?"

"I feel wonderful," she repeated.

Okay. Theory confirmed. Annabeth was freakishly sick. Percy contemplated for a while about taking her to Chiron and in a split second, Annabeth was about to fling her arms around him. Percy held out his hands to stop her as fast as he could. He did not need a whiff of his best friend coming from all-sweat mode; hot and insecurely sick.

"Uh, maybe you need a shower, Annabeth," he said. "You look exhausted… uh, sort of. When you're done, I'm taking you to Chiron. We need to get your fever down."

Annabeth beamed at him widely and said, "Aw. Aren't you a sweet guy. I knew I picked the right man." She pinched his cheeks and Percy stared at her wide-eyed. "You're too cute for your own good, Perseus Jackson." Without letting him answer, she brushed away from him, leaving him more confused than ever.

All Percy could do was stare open mouthed after her, his intentions of borrowing her school stuff forgotten as she sauntered her way down the pavilion and into her cabin. And he swore that he even saw her skip around like a school girl, whistling a few happy songs, gaining her a few weird glances from her fellow campers.

Something big was in the horizon, and Percy was not sure whether he liked it or not.

* * *

Percy Jackson wasn't sure if he was just cursed or destined to have a rotten day.

It all started when he had just finished taking a morning bath. As usual, his room was a clattered mess and he started maneuvering his way towards the end of his cabin, throwing away some empty, discarded bags of chips as he went. He searched his dressers for clothes and was fishing out his underwear when a loud bang and thump echoed across the cabin.

"OH MY GODS!" Percy wrapped his towel frantically across his still wet and bare body. He shyly hid his clothes behind his back as he glared at the intruder. "What in the name of Zeus' sanity are you doing in here?"

"I was just… checking on you," Annabeth smiled innocently, the blush still not gone from her face. The redness made Percy angrier.

"Checking on me? For god's sake Annabeth! It's like nine thirty! No one ever checks on me at nine thirty in the crabby morning! Not even you!"

"Well, maybe I decided to take it up a notch."

Percy glowered at Annabeth even more, while she just stood on the other side of the room, grinning cheekily.

"What?" Percy growled. "Are you leaving or not?"

Annabeth's grin grew even wider. "No, no. I'm staying right here."

Percy sighed morosely. He wasn't going to win a fight with Annabeth when she was all determined and annoying as hell, especially not now while he was standing stupidly in his own cabin, wearing nothing but an old, ragged towel to cover his humiliatingly barren body. "Fine. Just… close your eyes. No peeking."

"Aw, come on, Seaweed Brain! Can't I take a little peek?"

"Annabeth!"

"Alright, alright. Fine. Sheesh, someone's grumpy today," Annabeth pouted as she placed her hand on her eyes.

"You have no idea," Percy muttered as he bit an end of the towel and slid on his boxers subtly beneath his towel. He was being paranoid, yes. But Annabeth was being too, so no big deal.

"So," she said with a laugh in her voice. "You're a boxers kind of guy."

Percy hastily slid on his underwear with much force he could feel his own eyes watering. He glared at the 'seemingly-not-peeking' girl across the room. "I said no peeking!"

"I wasn't peeking!"

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are!"

"What? You really want me to look?"

"I – argh! Forget it!" Percy yelled as he slid on his jeans in a flash. He breathed heavily as if he was running in a marathon, but with Annabeth in his room witnessing his everyday routine of getting dressed… well, it was close.

After a few seconds, Annabeth removed her hands on her eyes, seeing just in time as Percy slipped on his shirt frantically over his torso.

He tugged on his shirt hard. He straightened the crinkles on his shirt as he glared at her full-on. Percy was beyond furious now. "I told you not to peek!"

"Well, I didn't," she defended although she was smiling uncontrollably now. Her pupils became more dilated in the slight change of darkness. She eyed his wet, mussed, black hair lovingly and they stared down on each other.

"I just, opened my eyes and I saw you putting on the camp shirt and… well, your chest too, actually. But it doesn't matter, really. I, like, see your chest a bazillion times when you go swimming or if a monster tears up your shirt or something like that." She laughed at his horrified expression. "No big deal."

"This is a big deal!" Percy shrieked madly, the towel on his hand flailing. "You waltz into my cabin without knocking – at nine thirty in the damn morning, Annabeth! –, you totally invade my privacy, and you're peeking while I get dressed when I told you not to!"

"It's not my fault you're too sloppy in getting your clothes on."

"Just get out of here, Annabeth. Leave now," Percy said scathingly and pointed hard on the doorway.

She empathically rolled her eyes and made her way out before saying, "And Percy, I came in here to tell you that sword fighting class is on me. You'd better get ready."

She winked at him as she closed the door behind her, leaving Percy and his heart thumping even harder as the marathon in his head plunged to a climax.

* * *

When Annabeth laced her arm around Percy's, he dragged his very sorry ass along with Annabeth's to the Big House. One look at Annabeth and Chiron would know what to make out of Annabeth's predicament.

Knocking in the middle of the night really arouses the spirit in centaurs. Chiron opened the door, wearing foot warmers and looking really annoyed. Percy tried really hard not to laugh at the sight of Chiron's pink curlers tied up on his mane. Hey! The rumors about the infamous curlers were true.

"What is it, Percy?" he asked.

Percy gulped. "Sorry for waking you up in this ungodly hour, but I need help with something." He jerked his head pointedly at Annabeth, who was now leaning on to him. She buried her head in his shoulder and the smell of her favorite shampoo washed over Percy's face.

Chiron analyzed the scene for a minute and let Percy in with Annabeth in tow. They sat on the couch as Chiron went to the get lemonade. She clung on to him until he whispered over to her to let go, that she was cutting off the circulation of blood in his arm. She immediately let go, spurting a full blow of rants about how she cared about him and how dreadful it would be if she would cause him pain by disrupting his blood flow.

She smiled at him and Percy's heart did a little dance on his chest. This wasn't right. He took in deep breaths and rubs the bridge of his nose. He winced. He was battered and bruised from all that sword-hilt hitting with the girl beside him. The little spark in Percy flared and he got scared out of his wits when he saw the signs that Annabeth Chase was flirting with him. The hair tugging. The cheesy name-calling. All those piggy back rides he was forced to do when she wailed endlessly all day. He really couldn't take it anymore. The words "Annabeth" and "flirting" did not really fit in the same sentence, and it sounded foreign to Percy as he thought about this. He exhaled through his mouth, not wanting Annabeth's lemon scent to scatter his all-time minimum thinking ability.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Annabeth asked sleepily him and he cringed at the nickname. From the derogatory usual "Seaweed Brain" nickname to "sweeties" and "handsomes" made him flinch. Annabeth was sick and Percy wondered what kind of dreadful sickness made her act like this.

"Nothing," he answered. He wasn't about to lose his cool, especially in Annabeth's 'delicate' state.

Chiron walked – sorry, trotted – towards the wooden table, and then quickly glanced at the two sitting on the loveseat. He offered them glasses of lemonade and the demigods accepted. He looked over them sternly, seeing Percy's expression.

"Hmm…" Chiron mused. "What seems to be the problem?"

Percy looks over at Annabeth as she was sipping her glass, and she blushed merrily, though her cheeks were already red.

"Uh, Chiron, there's something wrong with Annabeth."

It took a few minutes for him to answer. He set down his glass and made a gurgling noise on the back of his throat. "I see."

"Is she sick?"

The mentor shook his head, amused as Annabeth's head landed on Percy's shoulder again. "Not in that sense."

Percy darted another worried glance at the girl slumbering on his side. "W-what's going on, Chiron? Is she going to be okay? She's been acting… pretty weird." Weird was the loosest definition.

Chiron threw him a look and went closer to examine Annabeth. The centaur propped himself to Annabeth's front as he jerked her eyelids open a little further. She giggled. The centaur then examined her hair, her arm and the red tint on her cheeks.

Chiron stood in full-height as he questioned. "Was there something she told you? What was she doing before you ah… found her like this?"

"She came back after a whole day of step aerobics," Percy replied. "She does that almost everyday and she doesn't come home like a love struck zombie until yesterday, so nothing unusual about that."

"Did she tell you anyone she met? Any occurrences? Anything at all?"

Percy shook his head slightly. And then, a thought just clicked in his head. "Well, there is something."

Chiron cocked an eyebrow, urging the younger boy to continue.

Percy racked his brain listlessly. "I gave her a couple of barbeques and peanut tarts the night before, but she said she was skipping dinner because she was full." He gently laid Annabeth's head on the armrest of the couch. He flexed his numb shoulder momentarily. "She said about eating a fruit or something when she was on her way back, said it somehow made up for camp dinner."

"A fruit?" Chiron leaned a little closer, getting intrigued, which was a surprise to Percy. "What kind of fruit?"

Percy scratched his head. "I don't know. An apple. Or was it a peach?"

"An apple," Chiron repeated in his breath, straightening himself and buckled a sigh. "Oh dear Zeus. This is something dire… What kind of apple was it? How did it look like?"

Percy looked at him disbelievingly. "How should I know? She already ate it! It's probably dissolved in her stomach right now!"

"Hush, child. Don't wake her up. Now, calm down. The apple. I want you to tell me if she actually said anything about the apple. About how it looked like."

"I'm not really sure. I'm guessing not. But she did tell me it was the best thing she's ever tasted, could've saved me some and… well, I don't exactly remember the rest." Sensing Chiron's distress, he added hastily, "And besides, I'm not really sure if it was an apple. It could be a peach, or an orange – "

"I'm afraid it was an apple, Percy. And not just any apple. It's the Apple of Cestus, named after Aphrodite's girdle, borne and lush in the fields of Lemnos."

Percy blinked. Reading Chiron's grim face, this was not good. Clearly not good. As soon as Percy heard the name 'Aphrodite', he knew he and Annabeth were off to something bad. He knew how that laughter-loving, ostentatious, bimbo-of-a-goddess worked her magic. Chiron pranced around nervously, muttering words in ancient Greek and Latin.

"So what's with the Apple of Catsu?"

"It's Cestus. The apple of Cestus," Chiron stopped pacing. His eyes darted from Annabeth's lying form to Percy. "It is an ancient apple conjured in the holy earth of Lemnos; the fruit is as ancient as the island itself. Aphrodite created the apple as a gift, and a curse, to the maidens that lived there."

"And what does the apple do?"

Chiron's eyes locked with his. "I assume you already know."

Percy slapped his leg nervously. "So… if we're dealing with Aphrodite here, I'm guessing it has something to do with… love?"

Chiron nodded. "Romantic love."

Percy shifted his hands uneasily. "But what does it do exactly? You eat the apple and you fall in love?" Percy was praying with all his heart for Chiron to say it wasn't so. Because the thought of Annabeth, the Annabeth he knew since he was twelve, falling in love with anyone, particularly him, because of some ridiculous Aphrodite-conjured spell was really freaking him out big time. Not to mention how it struck another low string on their already strained relationship. They were best of friends, but they couldn't possibly stray anywhere else from that definition, could they?

"Yes. One bite of the Cestus apple and you will… fall in love immediately with the first person you lay your eyes on," Chiron managed to say it with nonchalance. After eons of weirdness and stuff, Percy figured he could have gotten used to it.

"And I'm sure you're the first one she saw after eating that apple."

"So Annabeth likes me? As in like likes me?" Percy stared at Annabeth widely, as if the blonde girl, who was comfortably dreaming on the couch, would answer him.

But Chiron offered, "If that's how you'd put it, then yes. Annabeth 'like likes' you. Lots."

"Hell," Percy retreated his back to the couch and slapped his palm on his face. He couldn't imagine… He never expected… No, this was terribly wrong in so many terrible ways.

"That's impossible."

Chiron smiled ruefully. "You have been exposed to this – to monsters, to things that defy the satirical laws of the world – for more than six years if I am not mistaken. I thought that after all this time, you might have accepted the concept that the most impossible things can be made possible."

"You're wrong. Annabeth can't be…," he choked hard. "This isn't good. This is definitely not good! Why on earth is Aphrodite so hell-bent on making me miserable all the time? She needs to get her damned rocker straight!" Even with the camp's magical borders, the Big House shook as a roll of thunder banged overhead.

"Now, Percy. It would not help as a matter of toenails if you call the goddess of love… crazy."

"Well, she is!" Percy ignored another roar of thunder blasts. "We are talking about Annabeth here! She can't be like this!"

"The apple might have belonged to Aphrodite, but we are not sure who gave Annabeth the apple and how she could have possibly acquired it. We are not of place to pull out conclusions and make assumptions that are completely beyond us. This is out of our hands."

"But this is crazy! She's not supposed to be in love with me! She can't be!"

Chiron did not answer to that.

"What?"

"Maybe, child. Maybe. We can never be sure about Annabeth's… lingering feelings towards you, but yes. I quite agree with you. This is crazy."

"But Annabeth's my best friend."

"Yes."

"I don't love her in that way. And neither does she."

Chiron remained silent.

Percy glared momentarily at the breast plate on the other side of the wall. Aphrodite, or whoever immortal it was, was giving him the stink. The whole concept was ludicrous and irrational. He said it to Chiron, and the centaur frowned.

"It has been a rough day, Percy. You need rest," he gave a fleeting look at Annabeth, who was sighing deeply in her sleep. "Leave her here."

Percy slightly nodded and left. He returned to cabin three, pacing hyperactively in the room, let out a couple of colorful cuss words under his breath, and decided to call it a day by trying to get some sleep. He thrashed and turned. It took almost an hour and a half before he started drooling.

And every so often, he got his nightly dose of nightmares.

* * *

**A/N: Things you should know before I end this note:**

**Lemnos -** it is an island located on the northern part of the Aegean sea. In Greek mythology, specifically Homer's epic, Hephaestus landed in this island when Zeus threw him from Mt. Olympus. There is another myth that says previous inhabitants of the island where women who got deserted by their husbands for Thracian women, and in revenge they murdered every man on the island.

**Cestus - **the name of famous battle gloves used by fighters and girdles by women. Aphrodite's favorite girdle is named Cestus, so I named the apple after it.

**The myth about the Cestus apple is just a figment of my imagination, and not really stated in the famous Greek epics. So if you want to find out about the myth about this apple, the best reference would be this story...**

**So did you like it? Was it good enough or really terrible? Thanks for reading.**

**Please review.  
**


	2. Another Complication

**A/N: Hi guys. This is the newest chapter and I'm sorry that it's pretty long. I do hope you guys would survive.**

**Anywho, this story consists of four or five chapters. So two down, two or three more to go. This story was supposed to be a oneshot, but my BR suggested that I should split it into chapters so that it would be less grueling for you guys. Thanks to all those reviewed and added this in their favorites, even though I've only put up a single chapter before this.**

**I'm sorry if I still haven't updated 'Of Cuts And Pills' yet. I've handed the draft to my BR, so yeah. It will be posted in a couple of days or weeks or so, so thank you to those who are willing to hang. **

**Enjoy!**

**Special thanks to: **

**storyteller1425 - for the amazing beta and the help in updating my stories. thanks for keeping me posted and giving me reviews that always lifted up my spirits.**

**IceDragon19 and BeautifulEscapades18 - for the help in posting this chapter. FF has been acting very weird lately, and it if weren't for them, I wouldn't have been able to update this. Thanks so much guys.**

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**The Quest For The Cestus Apple**

Chapter 2: Another Complication

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_"When love's well-timed 'tis not a fault of love; The strong, the brave, the virtuous, and the wise, sink in the soft captivity together." ~ Joseph Addison _

* * *

Percy closed the door behind him before he called, "You asked for me?"

Chiron nodded, gesturing him to sit down a seat apart from the pinochle table.

"Where's Annabeth?" he asked as he sat down.

"I told her to pack her things."

Percy's eyebrows furrowed. "Pack? Pack for what?"

"For her quest," Chiron said squarely. "She is off to a quest today."

"A quest?" Percy said, startled, almost standing in full height at his surprise. "You want her to go on a quest alone? In that state?"

"You, my boy, would be accompanying her. To Lemnos. You want her cured, do you not?"

Percy's worries plummeted a little but he was still taken aback by the news. "Yes. I want her cured. But why to Lemnos?"

"The only way to reverse the effects of the apple, is to eat another apple like itself. The trees that only bear the apple of Cestus are found in Lemnos. The city is ancient, as I've told you before. Eons ago, only maidens and female warriors lived there. No men. As you have known from the old stories, Aphrodite always hated anyone who scorned love. So as a punishment, she disguised herself and presented the fruits as a gift and asked the citizens to plant them in honor of the goddess. Once the trees bore fruit, they ate them, of course. No one can resist the beauty of the apples. It was a complete counterpart of the golden apples of Hesperides; wonderful, powerful, irresistible. Once the apple's flesh touched their lips, the very same spell your friend Annabeth is in would be cast, making the women fall madly in love with the first person they would see."

Percy did not know whether it would be best to laugh. "Takes the whole 'Love at first sight' to a whole new level, huh?"

Chiron shuffled his pinochle cards absentmindedly. "Yes, quite. So you see, it was a difficult time, back then. Maidens who ate the apple were forced to fall in love instantly with the first person they saw, and it wasn't much of a pleasing factor, since there were no males inhabiting the island."

At that moment, Percy's mind wondered how the ancient girls from Lemnos fell in love with each other – female to female – not knowing that a stupid apple was governing their whole emotional perspective in a moot point.

"This is where you would find the answer, the cure. Take Annabeth to the island of Lemnos, far off from Greece. You will find the trees nestling at the heart of the island. Take only one and make sure she eats it until only what's left is the apple's core," he dropped his cards and settled his eyes on the boy. "Do you understand, Percy?"

"I understand, Chiron. But is there any other way? Some way that doesn't involve sailing to Greece? It'd take me more than a month before I got there and… does the spell actually wear off?"

"I do not know, Percy. I have heard stories but I cannot be fully certain. Annabeth is the first case I have encountered so far, and the apples of Cestus are very rare, very powerful. It is not easy to get your hands on them, and I highly doubt that this is a work of a mortal. The spell, I fear, lasts until her last heartbeat."

The way Chiron told it made Percy's heart swerve madly. "So Annabeth can be like that? Forever? If she doesn't get to eat another damned apple?"

Chiron was sympathetic enough not to tell him to curb his tongue. "We can't jump to conclusions, as I've told you the night before. But there are strong possibilities."

Percy cursed in ancient Greek and Chiron sighed heavily. "Or you could just leave Annabeth be. Let everything else do the bidding – "

"No! No way!" Percy shouted in horror and Chiron half expected this. "There's no way I'll let Annabeth be… like this. This is wrong."

"There are many rights and many wrongs. Honestly, boy, I was half hoping you wouldn't accept the quest. It would be bitter travel to Lemnos and the number of hazards you would face would be more than the number of my hooves."

"I'll take my chances." Annabeth had always been there for him. He owed her a lot. He'd do anything to get her back.

"Easy, Percy," Chiron chided. "A lot can happen in months of travel." He gave him a long meaningful look. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah. I'm sure."

"Well, then," the centaur stood to his full height, almost toppling Percy with the pinochle table. He straightened up and gave him a bemused smile as if contemplating what would happen next beforehand. "We should get you ready."

* * *

"You are trespassing in my realm!" Eris shrieked. "It is against the divine laws – "

"Oh quit being such a whiner Eris, my dear," Aphrodite smirked at her before turning her attention to her reflection in the pool. She brushed her unbelievably smooth hair with her fingertips.

"You switched the apple!"

"Since you are sure about it, then yes. I did switch the apple."

Eris' golden eyes glowed. "How dare you interfere in my projects!" The immortal balled her fists in rage.

"Ah, but I am not interfering. As you might as well know, this is my project too."

Eris let out a growl. "I chose the girl first! She was my pawn until you switched my apple with yours and caused another love squabble with that Jackson brat!"

"I had chosen Annabeth Chase and her dear Percy Jackson a long time ago, before you decided to take your hands in this matter," she smiled. "Love is within my turf."

"I curse you, Aphrodite, and your Love to the deepest pits of Tartarus!" Eris spat. "You are wreaking havoc in the system!"

"But Eris, isn't wreaking havoc your forte? The great and powerful Eris, goddess of discord?" Aphrodite turned to her, smiling like a happy child. "Isn't it lovely, my dear goddess? The indecision, the qualms of love? I want you to consider my terms; I get my story, you get your chaos, everybody has fun. Simple as that."

The Goddess of Love grinned triumphantly as she watched the Goddess of Discord think about it for a while. Eris slowly steadied herself and marched toward the deep, blue pool.

"I suppose I can go along," Eris sighed and frowned. "The apple has been eaten, anyway. I cannot do anything now but to go along with the will of the Fates."

"I am sure you will have your fracas a little later, Eris. But right now…"

Aphrodite swirled the water with her hands, dipping it. A ripple of image formed; a boy with disheveled black hair and worried green eyes sprouted from the fountain.

"There, there," Aphrodite crooned. "There's my hero. Rescue the damsel from the hands of maddening Love. How delightful! This is the next cauldron full of a heartbreaking, tragic love story that's waiting to be brewed."

* * *

"Quit laughing, Rachel," Percy seethed between his gritted teeth. With all that was happening, he didn't need an addition of a redhead Oracle laughing her head off right now.

"S-sorry," she sniffled, muffling chuckles. "It's just that – gods! I didn't see that coming!"

After his little talk with Chiron, Percy decided to talk to his other best friend and the camp's official Oracle, Rachel Elizabeth Dare. He told her about Annabeth's bizarre behavior, about the Cestus Apple, and Aphrodite until the very last detail. He left out the details of Annabeth's flirty attitude with him, though. He was still embarrassed about that; Annabeth Chase starting to take a huge and strong liking to a son of Poseidon. Percy was lucky Athena still hadn't hunted him down and blasted him to bits of charcoal.

"This is like, wow! Who knew Annabeth would put her foot down with all this hostility crap and beg you to marry her in one night?" Rachel said. "This is seriously better than seeing Liam Neeson tap dancing on 27th Avenue."

"It's because of the apple. I need to get its spell out of her system."

"And what favor is it that you're going to ask?"

"I need a prophecy on this quest. I need to know how to get to Lemnos and find the fields of the Cestus apples."

Rachel gave him another chuckle before she agreed. He watched anxiously as Rachel sat on the tripod. He expected a gush of sickly green Mist to envelope around her and for her to start spouting a couple of rhyming couplets. But Rachel just stared back at him with bewildered eyes for a few minutes until she stood up and dusted herself.

Rachel Dare smoothed the crinkles of her scarf. "That's it. I don't think there will be a prophecy."

Percy blinked. "What?"

"There's no prophecy," Rachel repeats. "I don't think this is a real quest at all. It's just like going on a round trip to Europe with your girlfriend."

He blushed. "Annabeth's not my girlfriend."

"Hey. I didn't mention a name. Stop being defensive, will you?" She rolled her eyes and muttered, "Boys."

"I heard that."

"Besides, Percy. You are only planning to take Annabeth with you, right? No other companions? Just the two of you? It sounds like a road trip to me."

"But what now? Without a prophecy, I'd be dragging Annabeth into death on an island filled with poisoned apples. Without a prophecy, I'd be fighting blind."

"You're not going to be fighting blind. You've got Annabeth. That counts for something."

"Well, yeah but she's not exactly what she was right now," Percy snorted. "All thanks to Aprhodite, Annabeth turned into some crazy, love nut bag."

"How can you be sure only Aphrodite's into this?" Rachel gave him a pointed look.

"What do you mean?"

"Whatever. I'm really sorry, Percy. No prophecy for you. I'm sorry that I can't help you out."

Percy exhaled loudly, tired.

"Don't worry, Percy. Annabeth's going to be fine," she tapped him on the shoulder lightly. "With you leading the way, Annabeth's lucky to have you." She smiled apologetically. "I'm really sorry."

"It's okay, Rachel. Wish me luck." He drew the purple curtains away and exits. He shouted, "Nice cave, by the way!"

* * *

Percy saw Annabeth slumped on a bench on the front porch of cabin six – Athena's cabin.

"Hey, Percy," Annabeth greeted him, all smiles. The reddish color on her cheeks was still visible. Her honey-colored hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, the end cascading in curls on her right shoulder.

She seems almost normal, Percy thought. But her dilated pupils on her stormy gray eyes said otherwise.

"Is it true we're going on a quest?" she asked him eagerly.

The twinkle in her eyes heated a fraction. "Well, sort of," Percy responded.

"Just the two of us?"

"Uh, yeah."

Annabeth's lips broke into a huge grin across her face and Percy unknowingly blushed at that. Oh well. At least she wasn't trying to suffocate him with her hugs today.

She fiddled with the shoelaces of her sneakers. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to Greece."

"Oh!" Annabeth exclaimed brightly. "Are you taking me to the Parthenon?"

Percy thought about that for a while. "Not exactly. I'm taking you to Lemnos for a little… summer vacation. Yeah, that's it. We always spend summers here in Camp Half-Blood. Why don't we go away for a while, you know what I mean? It'll be fun," he tried for a smile. "But we can always take detours. You can see your mother's temple if you'd like."

Annabeth's face lit up like the Las Vegas sign and she dashed towards Percy, hugging him fiercely. She kissed him lightly on the cheek, delighted. "You have no idea how long I've wanted someone to take me to the Parthenon! Thank you, Percy!"

Percy only made a strangled noise in the back of his throat, still on the after-shock of Annabeth's thank you kiss. It wasn't a full kiss on the lips, but it always made him worked up, especially if it was a kiss from Annabeth of all people. He could practically count the number of kisses Annabeth gave him on only one hand, but with a small leap in his heart he could tell that on this trip, he'd get a great deal of 'thank-you' kisses from her. Percy wasn't sure if he should be excited about it.

"That is so sweet of you to take me to Greece, Percy! I never thought you would be –," then her eyes reduced to slits. "Wait. Why are we going to Lemnos anyway?"

Percy shifted his feet uneasily, his mind working double time. Even under a spell, the lovestruck Annabeth was still the critical-thinking Annabeth. "Well, I uh – they said it's a, uh, good place for tourists."

"Hmmm. They do have nice beach resorts… "

Percy did not know whose face was redder, his or Annabeth's. "Well, you see, I have a surprise for you."

Her guard lowered by a fraction. "A surprise?"

"Well, yeah! There's a sweet hotel back at Lemnos. I've already gotten reservations."

"Reservations? You mean, you've already thought about this? You got it all figured out?"

Percy said nothing and nodded, praying to the gods he wouldn't screw it. Well, hey. When faced with an angry daughter of Athena, he really needed to improvise.

Annabeth stared at him oddly for a while before her lips twitched into a smile. A ghost of a chuckle escaped from her lips and she closed the cabin door behind her.

Percy sighed tentatively. Great. He'd really done it this time. Percy couldn't believe he would actually create a gigantic lie and fool Annabeth around. As if he wasn't fooling around with her heart right now. He shook his head. Where did that thought come from? Anyway, he was just going to make it up as he went along.

He ran to the Hades cabin next and knocked. Fourteen year-old Nico di Angelo opened the door, eyeing the older boy's wild appearance and bid him to come in.

The cabin looked almost exactly like the Underworld, without the human size diamonds, Persephone's garden, and depressed souls wondering about. It did have the chill and damp air that got into the total dead spirit.

The small figure gestured Percy to sit on a bunk across his bed. Nico eyed him steadily before saying, "Annabeth doing okay?"

"She's… alright. How did you know?"

"Chiron told me."

Percy grimaced. "I didn't know centaurs are gossipers."

Nico chuckled. "For being alive and having tons of backlogged stories for five centuries, I'm sure Chiron knows more gossip than an ordinary newspaper columnist does. Teaching heroes and seeing them die is like a boring job without the talk."

"True," Percy muttered.

"I already have an idea on why you've come here," Nico said. "And my answer is no."

"What?"

"I'm sorry, Percy. But I can't shadow travel you to Lemnos, as much as I want to help you with your Annabeth problem."

Percy cursed in Ancient Greek before he asked, "Why?"

It was Nico's turn to grimace. "My dad banned me from using my powers for three months after that little fight I had with a couple of mortals in Portugal." He sighed. "Damn, mortals. They were asking for it."

"Oh great. What am I supposed to do now? Going to an island in Greece would take like months and I can't exactly fly my way there," Percy groaned. "Zeus will kill me."

"Can't you take Mrs. O'Leary with you?"

"I don't know where she is. She disappeared from the face of the earth last week. That was the last time I saw her."

"That's weird," Nico's eyebrows furrowed. The cabin's green glow illuminated his face slightly, making him look sinister. "I can sense your dog down in the Underworld. I'm not sure where. But… I can feel it."

"I don't have time to fetch Mrs. O'Leary from the Underworld. Can't you just bend your father's orders a little? I really need to get to Lemnos. We're talking about stupid love magic and Annabeth here."

"I'm sorry, but I can't," Nico apologized. "It's not exactly a pleasant experience for your dad to blast you to bits."

Percy's groan filled the whole room as worries about getting that stupid apple from a stupid island crowded in his head. Without a good curb of transportation, it would take tons of luck to get Annabeth cured by the end of summer.

"Maybe there is another way, Percy."

"Huh? What?"

"Have you ever tried using your water powers underwater?"

"Well, I have. I can breathe underwater. I do that whenever I want to go swimming – "

"No. I meant to travel underwater by the water itself. Just like how I do when I shadow travel. You take up the essence of the water in the same way I do in bending shadows to conjure up and teleport to a new place."

"I don't know, Nico," he replied hesitantly. "That's pretty extreme… not to mention crazy. I don't know if it'll work."

"There was once a time you didn't believe in traveling through shadows," Nico urged. "Give it a try, Percy. It'll be worth the shot."

"No. No, I don't think I should."

"You have to, Percy. Got any more bright ideas?"

Having no other better options in mind, Percy nodded. "Okay, Nico. But if I accidentally drown Annabeth and end up killing her, I'm blaming you for this."

Nico nodded and followed Percy out of the doorway, heading towards Long Island Sound.

* * *

"You got your backpack?"

"Yeah."

"Forgotten anything else?"

Annabeth stretched her arm a little and clasped her hand tightly on the bag.

"Ready, Percy?" Nico called from the back, leaning casually on an oak tree.

The black-haired boy gulped loudly. "No." He took Annabeth by the hand and closed his eyes, feeling the familiar tug in his gut as the he willed the waves to slow down and the sea to go shallower. He prayed to Poseidon for the whole plan to work.

He was breathing rather hard when Nico made an initial countdown. "Three, two, one…"

"Dive!" Percy yelped. Both he and Annabeth jumped into the water, the liquid barrier breaking as a splash exploded across the sound. Percy willed for both of them to be dry, and took in a deep breath. He imagined all of the earth's water closing in on them. He could hear the loud pumping of blood in his ears and the rash breathing on Annabeth's bubble as the water took them deeper and deeper into the sound. The water swirled all around them, and as Nico instructed, he drew out the essence of the cool, blue water. He started making mental pictures as he imagined their destination.

And a thought rang loudly in his mind.

_Lemnos Island, Greece._

Suddenly, his gut clenched painfully and he almost bellowed in pain underwater, gripping on Annabeth's hand even tighter. The water shook around him, swirling. His gut made another painful clench and he could feel the water propel him upwards, shooting in jet speed.

_Aaaaahhhhhh!_ was his only thought.

The water spouted them out like a geyser, and they landed painfully on their faces on rock-hard soil. Annabeth burst in shuddered gasps as she breathed in precious air, and he slumped on his back on the wet soil. Their clothes were still dry, the distant chattering of merry people ignored.

For a moment, Percy didn't care much about what the nearby people saw through the Mist. They were alive. They made it.

* * *

When you're a demigod, it's always normal for something in your life to go terribly wrong.

After minutes of panting, Percy started rousing himself up and helped Annabeth up on her feet. She slung her backpack on her shoulder and they looked around. Certainly, they weren't in Lemnos. They weren't in Greece. The houses had a different appeal to it – some were cream colored stucco exteriors and tiled roofs, but most of them were brown and bricked, the crouched and gothic style, five-story buildings rising on the urban areas. Percy clutched his jacket instantly, the air cold and cutting on his skin. He should have dressed a little heavier.

Signs whirled around Percy's head, none of them could he decipher. Letters were posted on wooden posts that he read in his mind like curly spaghetti. They were certainly not in Greece. Percy cursed in his head and questioned Poseidon for not being able to bring them to the small island they needed, to seek solace. Angering a god was the least of Percy's problems.

They were not in Spain. Percy was sure of that. He knew a little Spanish from what he'd learned from his eight grade language teacher, and the signs clearly didn't imply anything that they were in Spain. Portugal? No. Canada? Possibly. The signs looked like they were written in French. They could have been in Quebec, but the western side should be full of ship ports and –

"We're in France!" Annabeth turned to him. She was squealing in delight. "Can you believe it? We're in Paris, France!"

"Paris?" Percy's voice hitched an octave higher. Holy Zeus! They were in Paris? That could've been a logical explanation to why there were French signs that hovered around the area. But, no. Impossible. They couldn't have travelled all across the English Channel and spouted out from the Seine river, could they?

"Can't you read the signs?" She pointed excitedly at a navy blue post. "We're in the Rive Gauche! You can see the Notre Dame from here! We're in Paris!" She jumped to him and hugged him fiercely, and let go as quickly. She breathed in the cool, morning air of the fascinating place. "I can't believe we're in Paris."

He shook his head emphatically. "When I said that we'd be taking detours, I didn't mean we'd be hitch-hiking to Paris!" He scanned around desperately for any help, both from the normal and mythological world. A pack of beautiful naiads that would take them to Lemnos or back to Long Island would be very, very conventional. "We need to get out of here, Annabeth. Come on."

Percy grabbed her hand and dragged her back to the river bank, but Annabeth resisted and thwarted. The pump boats chugging made loud noises in the background.

"Don't be such a fuddy duddy Percy. We're in Paris now. The city of love," her eyes glittered as she spoke. "It's going to be great!"

Percy composed himself for a moment before spindling his way towards her, locking his eyes with hers. Totally persuasive now.

"Annabeth," he stated. "As much as I'd like to," Of course he didn't like to. This was Paris for Zeus' sake! "We can't stay here. We can't afford to take detours right now. We are two teenage Americans stranded in a foreign country with no passports, completely unsupervised, and with no absolute knowledge of navigating within the city. Let me get my point out first," Percy interjected as Annabeth opened her mouth to argue.

If he wasn't worrying like hell, he would've been laughing in amusement. In all of his life, he wasn't expecting to be talking all-rational with a demigod daughter of Athena, who was a smart-mouth like her goddess-mother.

"I am a guy with no degree in speaking French whatsoever, and even though you seem to know a word or two in French, damn! You're horribly and deathly sick, Annabeth! We need to get you out of here!"

She rolled her eyes at his melodrama. "What illness could possibly prevent me to do a little sightseeing with you in Paris, Seaweed Brain?"

_You have no idea_. "I can't say. But we need to get you out of here. We have to find someplace safe – "

"You said we're spending our summer by going on a trip!"

"In Greece! Not in Paris!"

"We're here, Percy. Why don't we just make the most of it?"

"We don't have time to 'make the most of it'," he added air quotes with his fingers.

Annabeth frowned. "Just one day, Percy. One day," she whispered under her breath. "We're going to spend one day here. Please? I really want this." Her eyes were forlorn, pleading.

With Annabeth's eyes' full force pushed on him, Percy's conviction and defense wall crumbled. He wasn't sure what he would've done if he just simply looked away from those infuriatingly expressive gray eyes, but he sighed in defeat and heard himself say, "Fine. Just one day, Annabeth. Only one. We can't afford to lose time here. First we need to find a place to stay for the night."

The blonde's face broke into an ear-splitting grin. She took the duffel bag that was lying on the river bank and tugged on her companion's hand.

* * *

**A/N: Well, they're in Paris. Woo! I just hope you'll tune in for the next chapter. I am no native so please correct me if there are any discrepancies about the setting in Paris. I've never been there, so please review and tell me:**

**a. if you think my description of Paris is way off.**

**b. if this story sucked or good enough.**

**c. if you've ever been to Paris and if you want, you can type your experiences. maybe i could squeeze it in the fic.**

**Thank you if you made it this far. Please review!**


	3. Misfits And Mishaps

**A/N: Hello. Sorry that I've been gone for so long. Thank you all for the lovely reviews you've sent, guys! Hope you'll all like this chapter.**

**Special thanks to:**

**storyteller1425 - for the, again, wonderful beta. D'you know it now seems rather natural for me to type your pen name in my stories? As natural as typing an author's note. And breathing, actually. I have grown to love you, your work and your stories. Yeah. I guess gushing about you has grown natural to me, too.**

* * *

**The Quest For The Cestus Apple**

Chapter 3: Misfits And Mishaps

* * *

_"The course of true love never did run smooth."__ ~ William Shakespeare _

* * *

Annabeth was conversing with a native Frenchman while Percy was leaning on the edge of a small bridge connecting two busy streets and sidewalks, the intersection closed in by a huge bakery with expensive bread displayed on the window sill. Annabeth spoke in rapid fire French as the man made gestures with his hand, his grocery bag tucked beneath his other arm. As he watched the swirling eddies on the river below him, Percy recounted everything that happened in the past three hours, strolling around the urban streets.

_"__How about there?" Percy pointed at a grand-looking building. "Hotel de Ville. Sounds promising."_

_Annabeth looked up from the point five franc map and rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Percy. That's the city hall. Can't you see all the officials skirting around?"_

_"__But it says hotel."_

_"__It says hôtel. Hôtel de Ville."_

_"__What's the difference?"_

_"__Only a bonehead like you can't see the difference between hôtel and hotel."_

_"__So there's a slight inflection in the 'o'," Percy snorted. "How much could the difference matter, really?"_

_Annabeth exhaled loudly in frustration, muttering as she turned her attention back on the map, blocking out Percy's qualms completely._

He grazed his fingers on the stone edges of the bridge. He looked at Annabeth for a moment, before he attuned his head towards the cloudy and shadowy figure of the famous Eiffel Tower. It amazed him a little that even if Annabeth was in love with him – fake, trashy, and unfeeling love, Percy constantly reminded himself –, they were still bickering like two little kids over candy canes. He wasn't expecting that.

Percy hated to admit it, but in those three measly hours, he felt great. Normal. Or at least as normal as a half-blood could be. Annabeth ranted on and on about France's revolutionary war and state architecture while he walked beside her only half-hearing, half-listening. His thoughts wandered around the prospect of walking side-by-side with his lovestruck best friend, and how weird it all was, how big it was for him to take it all in. What do people think when they see two ordinary-looking teenagers talking and walking down the streets of the city of lights and love? Percy had given up a long time ago about what people thought about him, or what was between him and Annabeth. But he wanted to venture outside of his body and get a glimpse of what it must have possibly looked on the outside as the two demigods strode close enough for their hands to brush occasionally.

He wanted to know what this hollow feeling settling in his stomach was every time he saw couples around his age sitting together on the benches, holding hands, or just simply making pointless conversations. He wanted to know why he'd furtively glance at the pretty blond girl next to him from time to time, who was blabbering non-stop about how the architects in France were famous all over the world, how they got extra stipends and the effectiveness of industrialization. He wanted to know how it would be in Annabeth's shoes; to fall in love with a person without meaning to, without the emotion itself. Annabeth didn't have a choice once she placed the apple on her lips and now she was stuck in deep, emotional conflicts with an idiot son of Poseidon. Percy couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"Hey," Annabeth sauntered towards him, handing him a small paper filled with red marked instructions. All Percy could read were jumbled letters and arrows and intersections, and he gave Annabeth the paper before his brain would explode.

"It's a map to a hotel nearby," she said. "Antonio – the guy who I talked to earlier – says that it's a swell place. Not that expensive. It has a pool. I know you like pools." She smiled at him and he smiled back.

"So how far is it?"

"Only a few miles away," she replied. She turned to the drawn map for a few seconds before she held out her hand and pointed east. "Over there. Better bust up your cardio, me amour," her eyes glinted mischievously. "It's going to be a long walk."

* * *

Percy almost poked Annabeth in the eye with his buttered corn stick when a deafening noise roared in the chilly air. His hands immediately flipped through his pockets for Riptide. A dracaena shot out of nowhere, tossing over a huge crate of oranges on the sidewalk. People screamed and ran for their lives as the dracaena sliced and knocked over pots of flowering plants. Percy wasn't sure what the mortals were seeing, but judging from the sounds of the screams of terror and the wide-eyed bystanders, it wasn't good.

He uncapped Riptide and launched towards the monster. "Stay here," Percy told Annabeth. She yelled after him, but her voice was muted by the hissing and trashing of the dracaena.

_A monster in Paris? _Percy shouted in his head, grimacing at the hideous face of the monster scraped in orange peels. _How anticlimactic is this? I'm sure the gods on Olympus are having quite the fun right now._

Percy lunged at the dracaena, his head almost severed as the seven-foot long double-edged sword flew over his head. He sidestepped and stabbed at the furious dracaena but the dracaena was fast. She deflected all of Percy's swings and stabs, spitting green fluid from her grubby mouth. Maybe French dracaenas did not die faster than regular monsters.

Percy caught the inside and jabbed, missing the dracaena's waist by about an inch. He saved a dazed little girl from being chopped in half as the dracaena swung her sword. A wooden table snapped like a twig.

The dracaena hissed in laughter. "Percy Jackson, the great hero of Olympus. We meet at last."

"Nice to meet you too," Percy greeted.

The monster aimed her sword at his throat and he ducked, kicking the dracaena on her stomach. The dracaena bellowed in pain as she sauntered forward again. The streets were almost empty with people except for the dueling pair and a blonde standing helplessly on the side. The dracaena madly swung her sword, hitting everything in her path as she attempted to kill the half-blood. A huge shard of glass ripped open Percy's jeans but it bounced harmlessly off his skin. He almost let out a crazy laugh. Invulnerability had its perks.

He was about to strike on its mid-section when a sharp point of a knife appeared between the dracaena's eyes. The dracaena made an awful yelp of pain that almost sounded like it could be heard all over Paris before it disintegrated into monster dust. The sand piled up on Annabeth's feet, who was glaring at Percy with all her might.

Angry, Percy returned the glare. He stood up and dusted the remains of the monster and pulverized wood off his jacket. He capped Riptide and the sword shrunk to a pen. "I told you to stay out of this!"

"What? You think I was going to let you die in France?"

"I could have killed that thing any second before you stepped in! I can handle it!"

Annabeth snorted. "Oh right. It could've lasted for more than a minute and the dracaena could have destroyed a national monument by then. How about a thanks for saving your ass?"

"How about a sorry for butting in?" Percy pounded a fist on his chest three times. "Are you forgetting something? Hello? Invulnerability here."

"I wanted to help!"

"But I didn't need any help! It was only _one_ dracaena."

"You think I was going to stay and watch you in the sidelines while you get pounded up by a monster? Just what kind of girlfriend do you think I am?"

Percy's anger abated a little at her remark. "What did you say?"

"I said I wasn't going to let my boyfriend die while I watch him on the sidelines," she repeated.

Without meaning to, Percy's temper soared again. His former pity for Annabeth paled against his newfound irritation. "You think I'm your boyfriend?" he asked incredulously.

Annabeth just placed a hand on her hip and cocked her eyebrows.

"I'm _not_ your boyfriend," he said. "You're _not_ my girlfriend."

"You're breaking up with me?"

"No!" In that instant, Percy's face felt hot. "We are not breaking up! Heck, we've never even been together! Listen Annabeth. You don't love me. You don't even like me!"

Annabeth glowered at him. "You may have messed up big time, but that doesn't mean I don't want you anymore."

Agitated, Percy ran his fingers through his disheveled black hair. "You're missing the point! We don't like each other in any romantic sort of way. We're just friends! You don't really love me! I don't… love you, Annabeth."

_I don't love you._

Hurt flashed across her face. "You can't tell me what I'm supposed to feel, Percy, boyfriend or not," Annabeth muttered. Percy's stomach panged and he instantly regretted what he said, but there was no taking that back now.

"Annabeth, what you're… feeling about me right now isn't true. This is all fake. You're being manipulated by Aphrodite's Cestus apple."

"I don't what you're talking about," she whispered.

"You know," he insisted. "You're starting to remember even now."

"You don't know anything about how I'm feeling."

"Trust me, Annabeth. I do."

"I love you, Percy," she said helplessly. "I love you, but you don't believe me."

He just stood there, perturbed.

"I love you." Annabeth's body was shaking. "But you don't think I do."

Percy could feel the tears starting to dam in her eyes. He took her hands in his and said, "You're not lying, Annabeth. I'm not saying you are." He looked away when he saw despair in Annabeth's eyes.

Percy couldn't believe a word he was saying, coming out from his mouth. He felt so numb, trying to fight the inevitable, keeping his feelings buried in the dirt.

But he couldn't take it anymore. Percy would never play with Annabeth's heart.

He would never want to hurt her.

But the truth hurts.

"It's just… it isn't the truth," his eyes cooled.

Annabeth nodded sadly, and her voice only became a whisper as realization hit her like boiling acid, slowly seeping away her entire existence as she asked.

"You don't want me?"

"No."

Annabeth's tears spilled over.

Percy could feel his whole body break on his knees as the girl in front of him sobbed a heartbroken sob. He tried telling himself over and over again that he did the right thing. He wouldn't play with Annabeth's feelings anymore. He did the right thing. The right thing.

Annabeth wouldn't be waiting for love anymore. If she would, Percy would make sure that everything she would feel was true. Nothing in the world, not even an apple would manipulate her to make her feel the stresses of love. No one would hurt her anymore. She would love a boy that she deserved. A boy who deserved her love.

The painful tug in his heart made Percy think he would never be that boy.

He took her in his arms as tears drenched the air.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you all for reading. Flames are welcomed. Reviews are appreciated.**


	4. No Holds Barred

**A/N: Hey there again, guys. As promised, I updated this story within two weeks (instead of you guys waiting for a grueling month). I am really glad from all the feedback I've received from the last chapter. Thank you for the support you've given me.**

**Many of you were wondering about what would happen next ever since that dracaena accident and I'm happy to propose that this chapter would fill in you with details, although I am leaving out a decent amount of it for the following chapters. And this chapter, well, I felt really uncomfortable writing this one down. Had to read about five to six books with fluff in them. You'll know what I'm talking about later.**

**Special thanks to:**

**storyteller1425 - Thank you for the remarkable - as always - beta reading. I hope I am not inexplicably putting you in a hard place and eating up your time in writing and updating. I can be unbearable, sometimes.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**The Quest For The Cestus Apple**

Chapter 4: No Holds Barred

* * *

_ "Love withers with predictability; its very essence is surprise and amazement. To make love a prisoner of the mundane is to take its passion and lose it forever." ~__ Leo F. Buscaglia_

* * *

Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, wouldn't let anyone stand in his way. He battled the minotaur when he was twelve, he survived every single wrath of the angry gods, he fought a Titan Lord and survived a death prophecy when he turned sixteen, he 'water-traveled' and fought a dracaena in France, and ultimately, he saved the world.

But all powerful and almost invincible Percy Jackson was not capable of outwitting a smart-mouthed, quick-tempered middle-aged French clerk of a hotel.

"I am sorry sir," the strawberry-blond woman said, not feeling sorry at all. "But this is the only room left for guests. As you can see in the log book, almost every installment is full and only if you have had ordered reservations – "

"I want a room with _two_, separate beds," Percy gritted through his teeth. "This is a hotel, for gods' sake! Can't you take another bed from a storage room or something and get it up to our room?"

"I am sorry, sir, again," she clipped her tongue, her accent heavily dripped of French and Latin. "But as you may know, today is, as of many days, in the tourist season. You are lucky – "

"Lucky?"

"Indeed you, young sir, are very lucky that one hotel out of many others still has a vacancy for you. Now, if you please, you are disturbing other guests with your… outburst. If you are not happy with the services offered in here, it would be more appropriate for you if you would take reconsideration in venue. There's a holiday inn down eight blocks away. I am not sure if they are still open for vacancies for, as I have told you, today is the holiday season. But if you do want to stay," she made a discreet sneer and opened her palm to reveal two duplicate keys. "Room 792, seventh floor."

Percy opened his mouth to argue, but Annabeth stopped him. Her sad eyes met with his as she spoke. "It's okay, Percy. I can sleep on the couch if you'd like."

Percy's green eyes widened. "No!" A few bystanders looked at the two American teenagers strangely. "You won't sleep on the couch," he muttered. "I will, if that's the case." He glared at the smiling woman who handed them the keys smugly.

"Enjoy your stay," the woman chirped with her French-Latin accent.

_Stupid French hotel personnel_, Percy thought. He and Annabeth might as well have served better in a holiday inn than receive shitty service this hotel was offering. They charged $245 a night and they insisted on giving _two_, tired and emotionally constrained teenagers a room with only one bed? There went Percy's $ 4,000 dream car fund. So much for quality service.

Percy and Annabeth took their small luggage and headed towards the elevator (lift in some European places). He punched in the number seven as they entered. The sliding door made a light ding and the doors closed, the elevator lifting them up onto the seventh floor.

Percy noticed that Annabeth was awkwardly quiet and busied with her own thoughts ever since that dracaena accident. So it surprised him when she uttered and broke the silence.

"How long is it going to last?" she asked, her voice a dead monotone.

Her brilliantly-concealed heartbroken voice made Percy sad all over again. He knew what she was talking about. "I don't know," he sighed.

Annabeth just nodded in that dead way of hers before the elevators doors opened again and a new batch of passengers entered.

They stayed silent for the rest of the trip.

* * *

Percy ran his hand through his wet, black hair and dabbed it with a towel. He took in the sight of his slightly torn and charred pants and grimaced. It was the only expensive $72 pants he had, and just one crazed up monster from Paris destroyed it. He thought of invulnerability being passed on to clothes and if it was possible.

He threw his pants near the edge of the bed and the packed bags before slipping on a fresh shirt. He hovered at the space for a moment before flopping on to the couch. The sound of the loud trickling of shower water indicated that Annabeth was still in the bathroom. He noticed that Annabeth took long showers, especially when she was stressed. And boy was she stressed today.

"Annabeth?" Percy called. "Are you okay in there?"

No answer.

_Okay, fine_, Percy thought venomously. They'd keep up the silent treatment if she wanted to.

Five minutes passed as Percy glanced at his water-resistant watch. The sound of continuous, trickling water and the low howl of the wind made Percy feel depressed. If he could get them to Lemnos and cure Annabeth, given that they could get out of Paris later, then what? What would happen then? Would Annabeth remember their little spat a few hours ago? Would they still be friends? Would they be enemies?

Percy thought about what Chiron said. About how much this trip would change everything between them, and Percy sighed internally. Without his consent or hers, everything turned complicated.

It wasn't that Annabeth wasn't a great girl. She proved to be the best person to be with; both in combat and in 'normal' demigod times. She was nice, though she numerously ticked the balance in his sanity. She was smart. Too smart sometimes. She was fiercely loyal. She would never compromise her beliefs for anything, even if it got her in trouble. The thought of Annabeth jutting out her stubborn jaw and glowering at the Sphinx and at Hera, the queen of the gods, made Percy smile. She was also fairly attractive. No. Not just fairly. Very. The way her eyes sparkled whenever she thought of something brilliant, whenever her smile turned mischievous when she taunted him, the way her hair spun madly whenever she fought or ran, the way their hands would brush each other, sending spurges of tingles on his skin, on the small of his back…

"Annabeth?" Percy decided to call again. He wouldn't let his thoughts stray towards that minimum end. _Annabeth's your friend, dammit!_ He wasn't ready.

Still no answer.

Percy mustered up his courage and tried again. "I know you're still mad at me." His voice bounced across the room. The shower was still on. Still no response from her. "Believe it or not, I'm trying to help you. I'm trying to help the both of us," his voice wavered.

"You know this isn't right. I'm not really sure what would happen next. I'm not sure if everything would turn out fine in the end… But you always wanted to do the right thing," he smiled to himself. "You always do." Annabeth was still Annabeth, no matter what happened.

His gut clenched again and his instincts knew that something was terribly wrong. He sprang up and headed towards the bathroom door. He knocked. "Everything okay in there, Annabeth?"

When all the sound coming out from the room was the heavy sound of pittering pattering water, Percy's heart fluttered. He knocked even louder. "Annabeth? Are you okay in there?"

No answer. He knocked, aggravated this time. "Open the door, Annabeth."

The banging of the door echoed. "I'm coming in Annabeth. Please open the door." When she still did not respond, Percy settled for going to the doorknob. He twisted the knob. Locked. He pulled even harder. He pounded his palm on the wooden door. "Open up! Open up, Annabeth!"

He looked around frantically and saw a small bronze glint poking out of the sheets. Percy ran to the bed and grabbed the hilt of Annabeth's bronze dagger. He would have to explain to the hotel personnel about a broken, hacked doorknob but that seemed like a minor problem. He poked the tip of the knife and twisted it. It took a few tries before the knob unlocked and the door swung open. He prayed a small thank you prayer to Hermes before he shoved the knife inside his pocket with Riptide. Percy stepped in and he half hoped that he wasn't going to see an angry blonde naked in an unreasonably priced hotel bathroom.

"Annabeth?" Percy said. A part of his brain knew she wouldn't answer. He swung the wet shower curtains to the right.

Empty.

He cursed and turned off the shower. He looked around the bathroom, though there wasn't much space for Annabeth to hide. The medicine cabinet was opened slightly. The hamper was filled with their discarded clothing. The cold wind shot piercingly through his mostly invulnerable skin. He rubbed the goose bumps forming and frowned at the opened bathroom window.

_Opened bathroom window._

He dashed to the window and looked down. It was a fire exit, with stairs leading down directly towards the ground. He barreled and thought about Annabeth. This wasn't good. From their experience, monsters could have been having their lovapalooza near the Eiffel Tower or some trendy boutique, and Annabeth's demigod scent could easily lead them towards dinner.

Dammit.

He ran as fast as he could, not even bothering to check out of the lobby. His only thought: find Annabeth.

* * *

As he ran to vicious-looking bystanders in a dark alley, he was glad he wasn't mugged. Rachel's $500 loan and his measly $60 bills were hot in his wallet as he strode along. The waning crescent of the moon was nothing compared to the blindingly bright lights of the sidewalks. It made the creaks on the streets look dazzling in the night. But Percy hardly paid any attention to the glowing pavement.

It might have been a few minutes, or hours, since he'd been out looking for Annabeth. He didn't even dare glance down on his watch, fearing that if he did, he would lose the sight of a blond girl smiling across the street.

It was driving him crazy. Where the hell was she?

So it was just his craziness giving him his crazy luck as a voice boomed a few yards away from him. Percy whirled around, startled. A man whose face was harshly illuminated by the yellow lights appeared. The wrinkles on his face where prominent, his cheekbones deep and sunken. The man's cheekbones deepened as he smiled and talked to Percy.

"Eh. Yer! Yer the on' wiz dat 'merican girl," the man said. Percy's stomach did a humiliating flip-flop. He knew where Annabeth was!

"Yes," Percy stated. "Do you know where she is?"

"Oi," he nodded. "Young missus' wit' dose drunk birmen down the strit. It's juz a few blocks away, me lad. Tuk off wiz dem. Luk fer Les Piétons. Cant miz dat, can yer? Aniwhooo, off yer go now." The man clutched on his coat heavily, leaving Percy stuttering his thanks.

Now having a new lead, Percy darted across the intersection where the French man pointed him to. What was the pub's name again? Les Pistons? Les Pieltons? Too late to turn back now as he charged after every single store with dazzling lights like Las Vegas. He stubbed his toe on a crevice and let out a colorful spill of curses.

A big navy blue sign haunted in his eyes.

_Les Piétons._

He slid the door open and heard the chimes of the bells as he walked in.

"Annabeth?"

A pudgy old man swung his beer glass wildly and laughed at some unheard joke and spilled a few of his drink on another man's pants. The man bellowed in laughter and made a guttural animal sound as he pounded his fists on the round, wooden table. A red-haired boy, looking not beyond his twenties was in a puddle of liquor. His hair was sticking out in all directions and it looked even messier as he laughed his head off. A big, black-eyed man choked with laughter, his neck not visible. He tapped on the flab of his tummy, and Percy's eyes drifted towards the girl beside him.

Annabeth smiled groggily. "Hey, Percy! It's Percy! Come 'ver 'er Percy!"

Percy went towards her angrily. He stared at her beer glass, and then at her disbelievingly. "What the heck are you doing, Annabeth?"

The blonde girl took a huge gulp of her beer before turning her eyes to him. Her pupils were even more dilated. "Wat duz it luk like I'm doin?"

"It's late in the night. You ran off without telling me. You shouldn't be drinking, Annabeth," Percy frowned at the sight of two empty beer bottles. "And I must say, your alcohol tolerance is horrifying."

"I can do wat I wan' to, Jackzun," she said with her mouth full of beer. She made a gurgling noise on her throat before continuing. "I'm eighteen. I'm not… breaking any rules."

Percy made another grab on Annabeth's arm when the red-head stopped him.

"Don't tell the missus what to do," he made a strangling noise and flapped his hands at the younger boy.

The pudgy man banged his own glass at the table. "Yeah. What he said."

Annabeth only laughed and pulled her hair away from her face. "It's okay, guys. Percy meet Andrei, Louis and Marcus. And yes, they can speak English. Well, Andrei's Irish. And Andrei, Louis, Marcus… this is Percy Jackson."

"Ah. And what is your relation to Ms. Chase, Mr. Jackson?" the red-head, Andrei made a mocking surly expression on his face.

Annabeth said "ex-boyfriend" as Percy said "best friend" in response. The three men roared in laughter.

"Teenagers and their messy break-ups, eh?" Marcus shook his head, amused. He chugged down another glass of foam.

"She's not my ex!" Percy exclaimed.

Mr. Louis-pudgy-man wagged his finger warningly at Percy. He jerked his head at Annabeth, who drank another full glass of brown beer. "I believe the lass. We know men. We _are_ men," a drop dripped from the side of his mouth and Percy noted the heavily hinted accent. He gave Percy an appraising look. "And you seem to be a fine-looking man. A fine heartbreaker in the ladies' case."

He snorted. "I'm not her boyfriend." He glared at the not-anymore-sober Annabeth. "And you're coming with me."

She shook her light head. "No, no. I'm staying."

The smell of rancid men and liquor made Percy's eyes water. He shook angrily and lowered his head. "I have been looking for you for half an hour, for ten hours or whoever in Tartarus cares to count how many hours I've been searching for you in this gods forsaken place. I am tired, mentally exhausted, not to mention emotionally depleted. So please, please, pull yourself together and let's head home, because I am not really in the brightest mood right now to be dealing with wasted girls."

Percy realized how wrong he sounded when Andrei-the-Irish-man stood forcefully from his seat, towering Percy from five foot ten to six foot two.

He snarled. "Ey! Nobody talks to a lady like that! I'll kick your arse if ye have to – "

"Come on, guys. Chillax," Annabeth slurred and stood up. Her feet got caught up with the wooden posts of the table, and she clung on Andrei for support. She chuckled good-naturedly. Percy glared at Andrei vehemently, not wanting a single inch of Annabenth's skin to be lingering with his.

Not noticing the tension, Annabeth laughed again and swung her left arm on the crook of Percy's neck. They both staggered until Percy balanced them. Her grey eyes met his green ones, and she smiled faintly.

"I've always liked your eyes," Annabeth said dreamily, her glass spilling a few of its contents.

Percy blinked back.

Her smile grew wider. "I just feel like I could… drown in them. Like… what I'm doing now! Wallowing in misery and rejection," she half-finished her beer and raised it up above her head. "Am I right guys?"

A burst of hoots and cheers followed.

"Well, here ye! Here ye! Can I have your attention please? As you all know, I am here having a nice drink with a couple of strangers in France. To tell you the truth, this is my first. And I'm having a heck of a great time!" she whooped as cheers erupted.

"Now this guy," she jerked her thumb towards confused Percy. "Pardon me for all matter of distaste, but I want all of you to know that this person standing before me, who I thought I was desperately and madly in love with, dumped me today. In Paris, of all places."

A couple of 'aww's and 'boo's' and curses were shouted.

Percy wished he could suddenly disintegrate on the spot. He was being blamed for a non-existent break up in a non-existent relationship. "Look Annabeth – "

"He keeps on telling me bullshit about some sickness that kept me feeling all deluded and making me act like a lunatic, but still that doesn't mean some idiot could tell me what I should feel, right?"

Yells of assent made the walls shake.

Percy, red-faced even in the colorful lights of the bar, tried to speak up, but Annabeth interrupted him. "Never ever in my entire life have I been so wasted and shitted on. I can zone on and on and on, and I doubt all of you can understand what the hell I am saying, but I don't think that's the case."

"Annabeth," Percy pleaded. "We need to get you back to the hotel –"

"And then what?" she shot back angrily. "What will you do? Tell me that I will never be right for you? Lecture me about how crazy I am and for acting like such a slut?"

"Ei!" a random man with a tequila shouted from the far side of the room. "You called her a slut?"

"No! I never told her that," Percy quipped. He turned to Annabeth. "I never told you that and I never will! I was just trying to – "

"What? To protect me?" Annabeth's face was mocking and almost hysterical. "That's like one of the most overused phrase in the world. I'm no damsel, Percy."

She turned to the crowd. "Who can ever tell you what's supposed to be understood?"

"No one!" half of the crowd yells.

"Who can ever have the right to trample all over your feelings and throw it in a mush pit?"

"No one!"

"He says that he never loved me, but that doesn't mean I can't love him, can I?"

More growls of assent. Marcus was giving Annabeth a thumbs-up. Andrei was laughing wildly now as he toasted with a nearby drinker, both of them knocking out a chair in the process. They were all roaring in delight in equal sympathy to the girl whose love was unreciprocated.

She slowly turned to him, her gray eyes dancing beneath the limelight, though it was sad. "You, of all people, should know things about love. You've been exposed to it much more than I ever had," her voice turned wistful. "And I've always thought you were different."

Percy's heart made a loud bang on his chest at her words. Was he really going to be just like those other guys – heartbreakers? Players? Guys who never acknowledged women as equals but just playmates in bed? It was true that he had been spoiled by love more than every demigod he knew. But he was only seventeen (turning eighteen by the end of the summer) years old! By the gods! Aphrodite should give him a break!

He figured the smell of liquor completely meddled with his perspective as he said, "I do like you, Annabeth. I'm not entirely sure if it is strong enough – "

"Oh, yeah?" Louis guffawed. "Prove it, boy!"

Almost everyone in the bar yelled in assent.

"Prove it!"

"Prove it!"

"Prove it!"

"Yeah, Percy. Prove it." She smirked of course, knowing for a fact that Percy would never have the answer coming out from his mouth. Percy Jackson was never one to answer difficult things with words.

But he did answer with actions.

Percy planned it to be a short and quick chap on the lips. Nothing major. Nothing that would make him regret anything. He wouldn't have done it in the first place. Probably the continuous ranting of drunken men must have clouded up his brain a little bit. But once his lips touched hers, he instantly knew he was done for.

Yes, Annabeth kissed him. Once. When she thought that he was going to die in Mount Saint Helens back when they were fifteen. But it seemed like a long time ago. It wasn't anything like it was now.

Annabeth's soft and slightly chapped lips mingled with his for a moment, and he felt his face, his entire body blaze. His mouth moaned in anticipation as Annabeth responded to him, the distance between them became an inch to a centimeter to none. Their lips moved in perfect synchronization. He could taste her… and the slight bitter aftertaste of alcohol. He could feel his fingers tangle with the loose curls in Annabeth's blond hair and he heard a loud clash as Annabeth's beer glass met the floor. A small warning bid Percy to stop and to check if Annabeth was hurt, but then all thoughts were pushed back as he felt Annabeth's hand flew towards the small of his back.

Memories started flooding back to him.

He could feel every single eye on the two flagrant couple making out near the doorway, and he heard distant cheers from the crowd. Percy was super aware, his senses leaping to a full height as he pulled Annabeth closer, deepening the kiss.

They gasped for air for a second and then their lips attached again, both yearning for contact. Her warm breath washed over him, clouding his ability to think about anything besides her. Percy was embarrassed that he was showing his male animalistic side in front of many people, in a foreign country, he might add, but he was still concentrating on how he felt elated that he was holding Annabeth in his arms right now.

A small moan that escaped her lips made Percy shiver with unknown emotion. He pulled her closer. He thought he was rubbing himself too much on her as he aggressively grabbed Annabeth's waist.

And then something hit him hard.

He was taking advantage of Annabeth, who was drunk and could hardly think for herself. He shouldn't have been physically engaging with her while she was in a different, delicate state. To be fair, they were both drunk. They both needed to think straight.

Percy tried to gather himself before separating with a long, fervent kiss. He pulled away and saw Annabeth's misty eyes first. His eyes travel down to her lips, red and obviously had been in contact with something that had been sucking the life out of it.

Percy's cheeks turned maroon.

He took a furtive glance towards the drinkers. Some were stupefied, others were giving nods. Most of them were laughing hysterically as they toasted with one another, knocking themselves off the chairs. Others were smirking, as if two hormonal teenagers just brought justice to the concept of a French kiss.

Even the bartenders cracked up when Annabeth fainted.

Percy made an infernal groan. Annabeth's alcoholic and make-out tolerance was _really_ disappointing.

"You must be a good kisser, laddy," Andrei smirked and made kissy faces, disfigured as his face could be while drunk. "Making her faint, and all."

"Oi! Can I have a smack, too?"

The whole bar shook with laughter.

"Get her home safely, lover boy," Marcus bellowed and toasted his martini. "And remember. No detours!"

* * *

Laying her somewhat fragile head, he settled her unconscious figure on the bed. He pulled out the sheets and softly laid it on top of her. He assessed the sleeping blonde for a while before passing out on the couch. Gods, she was heavy. And it wasn't an insult.

As he watched her small intake of breathing, he found himself replaying the kiss in his head all over again. He grimaced, disgusted. That was stupid. He was acting… and thinking like any other hormonal guy who had his first kiss. His first kiss wasn't in a less than romantic bar in France. But his first was spent in blown-up volcano with a girl with a pair of intimidating gray eyes. Gray eyes that had obstructed his vision for weeks, months, maybe even years.

He wasn't sure how he should have reacted in all this. Forget all about it and move on? It sounded like he just had a one night stand with a hooker. Tell her it wasn't a big deal? No way. Could he actually break her heart twice? Or should he confess his unconventional love for her? Nah. He still hadn't figured out his set of emotions about her and he didn't have the guts to spill either.

Then what now?

He thought about Annabeth's lips on his and how it physically, mentally and emotionally provoked him. How it broke all of the dams he'd been holding up for so long. Or at least he felt like it had been clogged up for years and given time.

Percy chuckled. It was psychotic; how a simple and maybe passionate kiss could awaken a man's internal desires… wait. Ew. Rephrase that. How a passionate kiss could completely give unresolved feelings with another.

People were certainly _not_ exaggerating about couples sharing a kiss in Paris.

She'd been upset for too long. Though he felt it was morbid to say so, but deep inside his sea-clogged brain, he felt happy that for a long time, Annabeth had been feeling something, nevertheless how fake it is. They connected even for a time being. And he was genuinely happy that they were spending time together even if it was at one's expense. He thought about making her happy. He wanted to see those gray eyes shine every day. He was not sure why, but it left a pathetic flutter in his stomach. And he was too prideful to admit that he liked it.

He was screwed up. And he knew it. His wish to the gods should have been to stop them from meddling with mortal affairs, even with something as primal as love. Stupid Aphrodite or whichever deities were behind it all.

There was no reason for him to dislike Annabeth. Annabeth was pretty much likeable in every way in Percy's mindset. But attraction was a different matter. Love was somewhat… too strong. A large part of his brain knew that Annabeth wasn't acting like this wholly because of love. She was acting like this because she didn't know what she was doing; she was being manipulated by a spell, an apple. Annabeth would never, in her straight mind, walk into a bar and profess her undying declaration of love to him. That was crazy. And a daughter of Athena falling for a son of Poseidon was just as crazy.

The thought hurt him much more than the acid from the River Styx.

What if somehow Annabeth would walk into a bar and profess her undying love for him? Though the probability of it happening was as much as the possibility of a three hundred ton meteorite falling from the sky and knocking him out cold, what would he do? Ignore her? Or tell her he felt the same way?

Percy shook his head and stood up. He laughed in spite of himself. Damn. He was acting like he was the drunk one.

He chuckled again and laid himself next to her. His fingers twirl awkwardly with her hair (it was his first time to do that) as he pulled it back to see her face once again. Unlike him, she didn't drool, and he internally laughed at that. Her glorious face and complex personality was a pale comparison with his lack of looks and shallow persona. Tonight she pulled on a serene, angelic face. Tomorrow, Percy would have to face the flashes of hurt that would be surely seen on her brow. Percy wasn't sure if he could handle that, but for now, all that mattered to him was that he was now reminiscing a happy thing, no matter how short lived, completely taken with the girl lying beside him.

* * *

**A/N: Okay. I hope my description of their kiss wasn't that far off. I was blushing like crazy when I reread it because this was my first time writing those two kiss. Had to do a lot of research. I read about people kissing. I watched people kissing (sounds perverted, I know) . I didn't even look away when two college kids kept on gnawing on each other on the bus. I hope that was enough. Didn't want to make it look like Percy and Annabeth were eating each others face off.**

**Thanks to all those who reviewed 'My December' and 'Of Cuts And Pills.' I'm having a hard time replying to you all between updating my other stories, studying for the upcoming semester and trying to blog (Yeah, I just started. Link's on my profile), but I want you guys to know that I appreciate them always. When I have time, I'll try to reply.**

**Two more chapters to go plus an acknowledgment to all those who followed, added this to their favorites and alerts, and gave their opinions. **

**Thank you for the support, guys! Please review! Flames are accepted!**

**P.S. - At the age of sixteen, the boozers are allowed to booze in Paris. So yeah. Annabeth's not in trouble.**


	5. Fatal Flaw

**A/N: Hey there again. I'm sorry if you feel that I took so long to update. And I don't think my babbling over some excuse would make you feel any better. I am (fanatically) pleased that I did not go too far in the make-out scene. I personally thought I was describing them like eels trashing all over the place and I am happy that no one, so far, has thought of that.**

**This is the second to the last chapter and I hope you'll find this one a close-up for that gaping hole I've always left you with. Thanks a lot for your reviews, guys!**

**Special thanks to:**

**storyteller1425 – for the (awesome!) beta reading. Expect me to holler whenever you review, update your stories and beta. You served as an inspiration for me to continue writing my stories and I really treasure everything you say and do. Thanks for being the always (awesome!) beta reader.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**The Quest For The Cestus Apple**

Chapter 5: Fatal Flaw

* * *

_It's better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all. ~ Alfred Lord Tennyson _

* * *

It was now time to cut ties with the city of lights.

Percy and Annabeth both felt a little sad that they would be leaving Paris. They'd only spent a day in the city. They weren't sure if they could leave everything behind after everything that happened there.

Percy consequently tried to bring up the whole kissing-in-a-public-bar thing, but Annabeth denied, as much as he persisted. She said that she didn't remember, but Percy could tell she was lying every time she looked away from his intense green eyes.

After grudgingly paying at the hotel counter, they hiked a few miles back to Rive Gauche. Percy hoped they would land in Lemnos and not in Portugal, where he could possibly meet Nico's 'friends'. Sliding down the dark blue but almost murky water, he took a deep breath and gripped on Annabeth's hand. They sank further into the bank and the searing pain in his gut soared as Percy felt the river responding to his will.

It took them fifteen minutes, and Percy did not know whether or not they would actually land on dry land and not be eaten by flesh hungry sea serpents. He prayed endlessly to his dad for guidance and safety. Percy could feel Annabeth's discomfort, and he willed the current to take them faster.

_Anytime now_, he thought.

And then his gut clenched, and he felt a huge pressure underneath his sneakers push them upward as they gained speed. He heard his ears pop at the rapid change of pressure, and he had a frantic thought about his companion. Annabeth couldn't withstand much pressure as he could.

Before he knew it, their heads popped out and they both gasped for precious air. He turned and met Annabeth's eyes. The frightened but seriously angry look on her face made it clear that she wasn't sea-traveling again.

They slipped out of the water and onto the coarse, beach sand. He looked around and guessed their location's coordinates.

He barely suppressed a sigh of relief. "Thank the gods we're not in Portugal."

Annabeth managed a faint smile.

They weren't wet, except for Annabeth's mop hair, and they glided into the thicker area of the woods as she directed. They wouldn't be seen or hunted in there.

_This might be the place_, Percy thought. This might be Lemnos. He wasn't bright in geography, but he knew a Greek island when he saw one. They landed on a large thicket of trees. They didn't have a map, but they both knew what they were searching for.

A slight rustle in the leaves made both of them stop.

"Sshhh," Annabeth shushed. "What was that?"

"I don't know. But it wasn't a squirrel."

"Ssshh! Listen closely."

They both strained their ears as they listened for any noise or disturbance within ten yards radius.

Percy started. "I guess it's nothing, Annabeth. Maybe we should head back and look for more – Annabeth?"

Percy whirled around and his eyes settled on a now empty space beside him. His eyes flashed as he searched for her.

She disappeared.

Instinctively, he drew out his sword. "Annabeth? Annabeth?"

Suddenly, a small girl wearing a tattered skin skirt and soot-covered sleeveless shirt was pointing a spear right on Percy's face. Her face was pinkish under all that smear of grime and her eyes were dilated. "Drop your weapon or we'll hurt the girl."

Percy released the sword and held out his hands as the girl thrust her spear even closer, closing in an inch. "Outsiders are not allowed here."

"Maybe you should have put up a sign."

A snort resounded across the forest and a much older version of the small girl appeared. Tattered clothes, red cheeks, dilated pupils; they both looked the same. The older one rolled her seemingly black eyes at him. "Insolence. We do not treat your kind with kindness as much as you don't deserve."

Percy didn't care if a midget was pointing her spear point at his nose. His mind was working on much more important things. "Where's Annabeth? What did you do to her?"

"Your… companion is now being transported back to our site," the older girl sneered. "If you would follow us as we take the lead, you might still find her alive."

"Where are you taking me?" Percy started as he unconsciously rubbed his knuckles. They'd been at it for two hours and Percy wasn't known for his working cardio. "Where in the world did you take Annabeth?"

"The same place where we are taking you," girlie-the-midget replied bluntly. "Now if you could walk any faster, we'd be with your girlfriend soon enough."

He rolled his sea glass eyes. "She's not my girlfriend. Besides, you wouldn't know how to spot a relationship if you saw one, from the looks on how you treat guys."

The older girl stopped dead in her tracks. She whirled and glared at him, the darkness in her eyes glowed fiercely. "And you think you males treat us females as fairly?" She raised her nose snootily and turned away, disgusted. "Filthy hypocrites you boys are."

"Look," he said. "I am not here to have another round of The Battle of The Sexes. I want to find the Ce – "

"We know what you are searching for. You are an interloper. You would have to be questioned before entering the fields. Our fields."

"Why do I have to ask permission to get my hands on a stupid apple?"

"That 'stupid' apple you are referring to has been around this island for centuries. We do not allow anyone in the premises of the fields without notice. You are to be tested. We do not trust males."

"First time today," Percy snorted.

Both the girls did not respond.

Percy turned to the ashen younger girl. "And what are you, like twelve?"

"I'm thirteen. And thirteen is the new twenty," the girl sniffed airily. She butted him with the tip of her spear. "Now shut up and keep moving."

Any of Percy's attempts to budge the girls were futile as they continued to stroll on for three hours without resting, and the person in charge wasn't intending to give him even a five-second break. He looked up at the nauseating bright light emanating from the sun above him. The time he and Annabeth must have forgone had a close gaping interval, for it was, judging from the position of the sun and the beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, noon. He lightly kicked a pebble as he followed the grumpy head girl.

They had encountered numerous winding paths and uttered thousands of cuss words before Percy saw huts ahead, with a large one situated in the middle. The path became smoother as the midget with the spear directed him to the large hut. Percy counted in his head as thirty three girls passed his way and most of them looked like his age. They wore the same tattered outfits and some of them shared the same flushed cheeks and bloated pupils. He fleetingly searched for any sign of the missing demigod daughter of Athena. His eyes were caught by a sudden flash of yellowish hair and then realized that the girl, who was chuckling quite oddly when he looked at her, did not have the same gold curls Annabeth had. Certainly not the girl he was searching for.

"She's not here," the smaller girl with the spear said, sensing his distress. "She'll be inside." She butted her spear point again at his spine. He grudgingly followed the other girl in front of her.

A tenant waved at them cheekily as the older girl opened the door of the Big House – Percy nicknamed it as it looked so much like the Big House back at Camp Half-Blood. Then the door swung open, and Percy knew it was right to call it the Big House. From the floorboards, to the ceiling, to the wooden posts, it was the exact replica of the actual Big House. Was this a camp too, only specialized for girls who ate a Cestus apple? Girls like Annabeth? Would they actually abduct her and take her away from him and from the rest of Camp Half-Blood?

The only difference between the Big House and the strange place was the furniture. Right ahead, an elderly woman with sunken cheekbones and purple robes sat waiting on a stub-legged table. An ink-black tattoo shaped like a serpent circled around the old woman's right wrist. She smiled at him.

"Wow," Percy peered at the painting of a huntress killing a wild boar. "We must have different interior designers, but the same architects."

"Welcome, gracious son of Poseidon," the old woman greeted him, flinging her robed arms wide open. "I am Ysidra."

The fact that this weird hag knew his identity made him a little edgy. He wasn't wearing a name tag, was he? Being the famous hero of Olympus had its downside sometimes. "Where's Annabeth?" he pointed out.

The girl beside him, looking like he punched her in the gut and wanted to run her arrows clean through him, hissed savagely. The woman only laughed. "I sense no ill will, Arianna. Men," she chuckled and pulled back the discarded ashtray. "Always on the rush. Don't have any time to even slide a few pleasantries. Am I right?"

When he did not respond, she continued, "Your friend is at the upstairs room, fast asleep. I recommend you not wake her. She is weary from all of your travels, and it was a lot easier to transport her here unconscious."

In relief, he said, "Nice to know she's been sleeping while being carried to a nice beach house while I had to trek for hours and completely dehydrate myself just to get here."

"It is customary."

Percy huffed and the Ysidra chuckled. "You may leave us now, Arianna. You have done a wonderful job. Thank your sister for me," she dismissed.

Arianna bowed reluctantly, and glared at Percy with all her might before she turned away and slammed the door after her.

The old woman gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. You have to excuse them. Civility is the last thing that comes in to their minds when it comes to dealing with men."

"It's not like I invented the idea of becoming a boy."

"I'm afraid so. But that doesn't change a thing. They are not attuned to you as they are to anyone else that shares that Y chromosome," she said.

"Thanks. That gives me a warm feeling in my stomach."

She gave a small laugh.

"So this is a camp for girls?"

Ysidra shook her head. "Well, if you put it in that case, then no. This is where female exiles are welcome to live. Mothers, daughters, tribes..."

"Like the hunters of Artemis."

"Yes. The divine goddess is our patron, as well as Hephaestus and his wife, but Artemis has a different objective in banding a group of young females. Here on this island, we are isolated from the rest of society. We reach out for each other, bring out the ends of the sisterhood – "

"Sounds like Sorority 2.0," Percy snickered.

"We do not have immortality to begin with. And what separates us from the holy goddess' hand maidens is that even we are still governed by the bylaws of love." She gave the boy a meaningful look before saying, "I understand your friend Annabeth has eaten the Cestus apple."

Not knowing how to respond, he settled for a nod.

Another sorry smile. "Annabeth is lucky that you are still ardent to stick by her side even in her predicament."

"She's my best friend."

Ysidra smiled widely then, her sunken cheekbones became more prominent. "And best friends have each other's backs, I see? One fine gentleman you are if you accompanied your 'best friend' to travel all the way from the Americas to the lonely island of Lemnos."

Percy only gave her a befuddled look.

"My apologies, Percy," she chuckled. "My statement must have been vague. What I'm trying to say is that not everyone is willing to travel thousands of miles just to help their friends get a mystical apple from a small island in Greece. For my fellow sisters, this is hard to comprehend. But for me, I have been long enough to know where your loyalty stems from."

"She's my best friend," he argued. "And that's that. No need to give malice on that. We've been through a lot together, and I'm not giving up on her now."

"Exactly my point. You have been friends all this time and you're saying that the best you can do is to be friends with her? I admit that I have not been a witness to your misadventures, Percy Jackson, but I do know that your rejection and denial will only lead to greater trouble."

"Arianna wasn't always like that," Ysidra said after a few minutes of silence. "She and her sister were commoners in a small town here. She adored men like one would adore lady Persephone's pomegranates. She was destined for greater things. But the apple destroyed her."

She gestured for him to sit on the mat before she continued. "She got lost in the fields one day and ate the dreaded Cestus apple from a nearby tree. She fell in love with a viscount. He was terrified, a fifteen year old girl trying to seduce him. And so he fled and left her heartbroken. She joined us after that."

"But she never got over him, no. The apple has lasting effects. She hated all men with the exception of the handsome viscount. Her sister, the one with the spear and the attitude, joined us years after. She did not have the same fate as her sister, but it is tradition that when a girl turns sixteen, she is entitled to pluck the apple from the Cestus trees and eat its fruit. She did not want to wait to be sixteen. She ate the fruit when she turned thirteen."

"What happened to her then?" he asked.

"Carlianne, that's the young lady's name, fell in love with a busboy across town. She's luckier than her sister. The busboy learned to love her as well, though she's only thirteen. Most of the girls here, they are not as lucky as Carlianne is. They envy her for her fortune. Not all can be loved and not all can learn to love."

Percy's heart crept up to his throat as Ysidra told her tale, "Our ancestors were warriors who vowed never to fall in love with the savage beasts known as men. Artemis was proud, but we made another goddess furious. Can you guess who that goddess is?"

"Aphrodite," he gulped and answered.

She smiled wryly. Her hand groped the tattoo on her wrist. "Aphrodite hated our stump – any love goddess would. The Cestus apple is only a punishment for ridiculing love. We are to eat it when we turn sixteen; an initiation right. We could not anger the goddess. She brought out famines and wild fires. We know she could not do all these things, but imagine what favors the goddess can do with her being smitten with the other divinities." Her voice was filled with poorly hidden contempt.

"You are fortunate that you can decide who you can love without Aphrodite or the Fates to control you. They can influence you, but, unlike us, you are not deprived of a choice. Love can be fickle, and men can leave us women when they've had enough, when they've gotten the fun. How unfair of you, and I'm saying this in general, to discard us like worn out clothes. You have to understand the reason why we hate."

"Annabeth is fairly lucky to have you," she whispered. "But you do not love her, do you?"

"I'm… I don't know," he answered.

"You'd better decide fast. When faced with the cliff, you make your decision," her eyes glinted at him as she said this. "After eating the apple, she will turn back to her normal life, or whatever normal she's had – "

"She won't remember a thing?"

"Of course she will remember. The apple does not function to erase memories."

Percy's cheeks turned bright red. It was embarrassing for Annabeth to turn back to normal and still gain all those fruitful memories in France. Most especially the whole kissing thing and seeing him half-naked back at camp…

"But the good news is she'd be back to normal right? She'll be free?"

"Yes, she will. But the question is do you still want her to be free?"

Percy's expression became bemused. "What are you talking about? Of course I do!"

"Are you sure?" The woman told him skeptically. "Did you not have any thoughts that it would be easier to love her if she would love you back? Fake or not?"

"What – no! I never thought of that!"

"Men are such lousy liars," her sneer reminded him of Hera. "Tell the truth, Percy. Do you love her or not?"

"But she's my best friend!"

"Liar, stubborn," she stated.

"Don't call me that!"

"Tell me you feel for her then. I want those words crawling out from your mouth."

"I don't love her in that way," he snorted.

Ysidra sighed and she heavily turned her dull eyes to his vibrant ones. "I know your kind of guy. You're afraid that what your 'friend' feels for you is not at all real. You're afraid to go mutual. You have to trust me on this. You'd lose your chance if you won't tell her how you feel."

"She's being controlled by a freaking fruit!" Percy's voice hitched madly. "And you expect me to take advantage of her right now by telling her that I lo–"

"Yes?" Ysidra smiled innocently. "What was that you're going to say?"

"Ugh! Forget it!" Percy spat angrily, feeling tricked. That snazzy old lady and her tricks.

"You love her," she said. There were no tremors or loops in her voice. She was certain of it.

Percy ranted in his head_. I don't love her. I don't love her. I don't love her. I don't love her._

_I don't love her._

"_You're cute when you're worried."_

_I don't love –_

"_I don't want anything to happen to you."_

_I don't…_

"_Hold on, Seaweed Brain. You're not getting away from me that easily."_

_I –_

"Fine... I love her, alright?" Percy huffed, defeated and rolled his eyes at the ceiling. If anything, he might have considered all of this as humorous. He did not imagine himself confessing and declaring his feelings for his long-time best friend to a weird lady that lived in a forest off the coast of Greece. He eyed Ysidra's happy expression and added, "No need for you to go tap dancing. But yes, I do love her so stop being so ridiculously enthusiastic about it."

Ysidra chuckled victoriously.

He frowned. "So what am I going to do now? I really want Annabeth to love me back. I really do. But I don't want her to love me just because Aphrodite's apple is telling her to. I… I owed it to her," he said sadly.

This was the hidden problem that hit him ever since Chiron told him about the fruit. He was unconsciously solving it, racking his brains for anything that would not complicate his feelings for her, and her feelings – if there were any – for him. He would have to sacrifice it all again, and he would lose Annabeth once the skin of the Cestus apple touched her lips. She'd be back to normal again forever, and who knows? With all those happenings between them in this trip, all the things he tried to work out between the two of them for six years could just disappear into oblivion.

A sinking sensation in his chest arose as he felt sorry for Arianna and all the other women who'd had their share of unrequited love. Because for the first time in his life, he felt it too. And he never realized how depressing and painful it would be.

"She loves you, even before," Ysidra smiled reassuringly and pulled back a strand of hair away from his eyes. Like a mother comforting her son. "It would be hard for anyone to not love you."

He gave her a small smile. Self-pity. Shame. Those were what he felt as he thought about his best friend, how love would make him lose her, and how even a hero like him wasn't entitled for happy endings.

* * *

**A/N: As you have noticed, Percy's fatal flaw has been used as the reoccurring scheme in this story. I find his personal loyalty and his high regard for morality and sacrifice, especially if it involved his love ones, as bleak, hardly sophisticated and yet tragic. And it has become the main ingredient in this fic. Thank you, Rick Riordan, for supplying a muse.**

**Next chapter is the ending. Sorry if this chapter didn't supply much Percabeth action (I think) and sorry if it has to be this soon, but I did plan it as a long-for-a-oneshot-but-a-short-chapter-story (what is the difference between drabble and oneshot? Sorry, I'm just new here in fanfiction). Still contemplating whether I should continue.**

**Thank you to all those who reviewed and said I deserved more acclaim than this. It was really a nice thing to say and made my day. I am happy with reviews, actually. I don't really expect it to skyrocket to a hundred or so. The number of praises and thumbs-up (and the lack of flames) made up for the amount of reviews in total, and it was an honor to receive such words.**

**Reviews are wonderful and appreciated! Flames are accepted and will be used as a motivation to strive harder. I will try to reply to you all.**


	6. The Epic Fall

**A/N: Over a hundred reviews in just five chapters! Wow, guys! Wow. This was more than I've ever asked for. Thanks so much!**

**Alright. Sad to say, but this story has finally come to an end. Thank you very much for the wonderful reviews and support you've given me throughout this fic. This is my second chapter story, but it is the first one that I will end. You guys have made writing this story an honor in my part.**

**Special thanks to:**

**storyteller1425 – Thanks so much for the endless river of encouragement! Thank you very much for the reviews! Thank you very much for the beta! Unhinged as I may be with your support, I still wanted to thank you gracefully – I hope so – for everything. I can't believe that this is about to end. But I hope our partnership would be withstanding. Thank you so much!**

**I present to you the ending of this story.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**The Quest For The Cestus Apple**

Chapter 6: The Epic Fall

* * *

_Then there's the two of us. _

_This word is far too short for us,_

_It has only four letters, too sparse_

_To fill those deep bare vacuums_

_Between the stars_

_That press on us with deafness._

_It's not love we don't wish to fall into,_

_But that fear._

_This word is not enough _

_But it will have to do._

_It's a single vowel in this metallic silence._

_A mouth that says O again and again in wonder_

_And pain, a breath,_

_A finger on a cliffside._

_You can hold on or let go._

_~ Margaret Atwood (excerpt from the poem "Variations on the Word Love")_

* * *

It was the first time Percy felt that he hated nature.

Standing before the green fields and those sturdy looking trees, Percy felt no more than contempt. He looked up, and above him were hundreds of radiant looking apples that mocked him and urged him to taste one. This must have been Grover's sweet paradise, but for Percy, it was nothing more than a grave to him.

Percy's cheeks reddened as Annabeth silently intertwined her fingers with his. She was at end.

This was her goodbye.

She mouthed an 'I'm sorry' to him, practically knowing this was all her fault, and that they wouldn't be here right now if she didn't eat the apple. Her gray eyes met up with his, and he could see those tears threatening to surface. Knowing that he'd lose his chance, he picked up his courage and kissed her. It wasn't anything like the extreme kiss they shared back at the bar. It was short but sweet and passionate.

It would be her last reminder of him.

"I promised that I wouldn't make it any harder for you," Percy said.

"You already are," she answered numbly.

He smiled sadly. "I'm not sure what would happen next, or if there's anything you do feel about me deep down," he squeezed her hand as he let go. "But please remember that I won't be leaving you even if hell freezes over. You've got me, Annabeth."

She put on a brave face and hugged him fiercely. "Why do you always have to be the hero?"

"Let's just say I get paid really well in being the hero from time to time," he said lightly as he slowly hugged her back. "Especially if I get to be your hero."

She chuckled and buried her head in his shoulder. "I'm sorry. For everything."

"You don't have to be sorry."

"I love you, Percy," she said, casually throwing the 'L' word with Percy's name. "Even after this, I always will."

He smiled at how her words sounded to him and buried his own head in Annabeth's hair. He sighed before he muttered, "You should know how much I truly wish that that could be real."

She squeezed into him for a moment before letting go, her brave face still on the surface as she headed to the tree and plucked the nearest fruit. She held the apple gingerly and looked at Percy.

In that moment, he was resisting his urge to dash over to her and throw the Cestus apple off the base of the cliff. And it surprised him as he reassured her to take a bite.

"It won't bite you if you bite it first," he told her.

The corners of her lips pulled up and made a lopsided grin before she opened her mouth and mashed it with the apple. Annabeth suddenly had an odd expression on her face as she ate more and more of the apple until only the core was left.

After a few minutes, he spoke up. "Annabeth? You feeling okay?" Percy asked stupidly. He turned and gauzed Annabeth's expression.

The blazing look in her eyes when she glared at him told him that nothing was definitely okay. Gone were the reddish cheeks and the dilated pupils. All that was left was the look of pure hatred.

"Annabeth?" Percy dashed towards her side but then Annabeth pulled out her celestial bronze knife from her belt. She aimed the freakishly pointed thing at him with no signs of remorse. Or even recognition. The confused look on Percy must have been priceless because the suddenly deadly Annabeth even managed a smile in her grimace.

"Annabeth, what's wro-" Percy did not get to finish his sentence as Annabeth lunged and tried to stab him with her knife. He pulled back and dodged the crazy girl's mighty swings. Annabeth barely missed an inch from Percy's ear, and even with his invulnerability, he was sure he would be walking out of Lemnos with one ear less.

"Annabeth!" he called as Annabeth made a huge tear on his jacket. "What the hell is going on?"

"I hate you!" she screamed as she kicked him in the gut. It must have taken her a lot of power because Percy stumbled to the ground. She grasped her knife hilt firmly as she watched him acidly.

"Yeah. Must explain why you're trying to kill me right now," he stood up and righted himself. "What's wrong with you? Look, I'm sorry for everything that happened. I'm sorry about camp, about that trip to France – "he blocked another parry. "Would you please let me apologize? I can't do that without you gutting me like a fish!"

"You are a fish," Annabeth made another hard swing and Percy dodged. "And you must be gutted as necessary."

Not knowing what else to do, he defended himself. If he took out Riptide and fought back, he could hurt Annabeth. All thanks to his invulnerability, he would tire much faster like a burned out light bulb. He blocked another knife attack and went to her left side. Annabeth whirled and knocked him to the ground. He stood up as fast as he could and ran behind a tree. He felt a huge knock on the tree trunk as Annabeth's knife lodged in the wood deeply. He ran again, though he knew that Annabeth would catch up in no time.

"I'll tell you what's going on," a voice said.

Percy's head looked around quickly and spotted a beautiful woman wearing a white toga, twirling a pink ribbon between her fingers. She clucked her lips passively, as Percy made another yelp. Percy knew who it was. Even though she looked different from their last meeting, she still radiated with power. And he was less than happy to see her.

"No disrespect intended, but what are you doing here?" he growled in frustration as he blocked another parry. Annabeth seemed not to have noticed the goddess' arrival and was more focused on removing Percy's internal organs.

"I came here to say a few words to you," Aphrodite said in a soft but resounding tone.

"That would be great if you would announce that during my funeral pyre," Percy stated as Annabeth did a small haircut on him. "A little busy right now."

Ignoring what he said, she continued, "I wanted you to know that I did not act alone on this. I came to warn you. Eris, the goddess of discord, renounced our truce and is now acting on her own."

"So I was right! You're behind all this!" he accused breathlessly. His temper rose even though he was exhausted and drained of life. So, it _was_ Aphrodite and her cooties that caused all the mishap. And this time, she brought another goddess into her schemes.

"_Eris_ was with me on this."

"Oh right. Sorry. I forgot to mention the accomplice," he yelled after her sarcastically. His least problem right now was being blasted into pieces by an angry goddess. Maybe Aphrodite should come back when he was not… you know… too busy trying not to die.

"Percy, Annabeth is now under the control of Eris. She switched the Cestus apple with her own."

Percy blocked another attack and Annabeth screamed. "Meaning?" he asked.

"Eris' apple reverses one's feelings and intensifies it. Annabeth now feels the opposite of what she felt about you originally," the goddess said it as if it was obvious.

"The opposite? What opposite?"

It was Aphrodite's turn to roll her eyes. "She's trying to kill you now. What do you think is the inverse of that?"

It took him a whole lot longer to answer, partly because Annabeth was determined to poke him in the eye and castrate him. Opposite? It was obvious that Annabeth was trying to kill him now, that's a given. But what did she mean by opposite?

_Eris' apple reverses one's feelings and intensifies it. Annabeth now feels the opposite of what she felt about you originally._

Hate. Opposite of hate!

"Annabeth _loves_ me?" Percy was too dazed, dumbfounded, and at loss of words for this. Even when Annabeth tore a great deal of his pant leg, he was too enthusiastic to, at least, finally know. His dreams weren't that far off. Annabeth Chase loves him!

"Took you so long to notice, my dear," she rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Anyways, if you can't jump start her out of this, it would be 'Annabeth loved you'. You need to snap her out of it."

"How?" Percy shouted. "Make her eat another of Eris' apples?"

Aphrodite shook her head and pulled out a nail file. "Only Eris can have possession of that apple. And it will not do any good. It would only intensify Annabeth's hatred even more."

Reluctantly, Percy pulled out his pen and uncapped it. The pen grew into a three feet long celestial bronze sword and blocked it against Annabeth's knife. He couldn't hold her out anymore. "Then what do I do?"

Aphrodite filed her nails reverently as she answered. "You know what to do, Percy. Besides, I can't interfere. Divine laws, aren't you forgetting?" She gave him a happy, childish smile before waving her perfect hand. "Best of luck, Percy Jackson! And remember, love conquers all!" With that thought, her form shimmered and Percy looked away before she vanished instantly.

Percy's sea green eyes froze in horror at the now vacant space of the fields where the giddy goddess made her appearance_. What did she say? I wanted to tell you that it was me behind all that you've been through and now you should thank me for making you realize that you're in deep emotional crap with your best friend and that the goddess of discord is against you and is using the love of your life to kill you but she actually loves you but because of the goddess, she now hates you and is showing you that by stabbing you cheerfully? Well then, thank you, oh pretty goddess Aphrodite! You're making my life really swell…_

_Stupid Aphrodite_, he cursed. This might have been his only dying thought when Annabeth nearly missed to stab him on the small of his back – his only weak point. How in the world would he be able to 'jump start' Annabeth out of this one? The only thing he got was how immortals could not interfere with any shit mortals were putting on and how love conquers all…

_Love._

Love conquers all! That's it!

Percy raised his sword and blocked off Annabeth's knife effectively. The blades met and they were both grasping for leverage. He saw his chance.

"I'm sorry, Annabeth," he said.

She gritted her teeth. "Not as sorry as I am."

Seeing the small gap between the blades, he swung his sword forward. It missed Annabeth's side by inches and then Percy directed it to her knife, disarming her. It clattered off her hand and into a small shawl of rocks.

"I know you're in there, Annabeth, "he threw Riptide aside and held out his hands. "Deep down. I know you won't hurt me."

He took five steps backward.

A flash of panic suddenly crossed Annabeth's face. "What are you doing?"

He did not answer as he continued to step backward. He stopped abruptly when his sneakers reached the end of the cliff.

…0…

_When faced with the cliff, you make your decision..._

…0…

"Stop where you are!" Annabeth ordered him.

"Do you love me?" Percy shouted back, asking. "Do you love me, Annabeth?"

Annabeth's stoic mask suddenly fell as her heart thumped overtime. "I… I – "

"I guess that's a no," Percy replied. He took his last step backward. He felt his weight tip over as he made himself plunge into the waves below.

…0…

_"Let's just say I get paid really well in being the hero from time to time. Especially if I get to be your hero."_

…0…

"NO!" Annabeth yelled and without thinking, plunged after him. She thought of that idiotic, impulsive boy getting himself killed playing hero all the time by jumping off of cliffs as her face peeled against the air.

She was getting closer to the sea when a realization hit her.

And then, with the last view of the waves eroding the cliff side, she laughed hysterically. She laughed even as her feet landed with the water below. She laughed in her head even as she sank slowly. She laughed even as she felt those familiar powerful arms encase her waist as he made a gigantic air bubble. She laughed as she opened her eyes and saw those green eyes boring through her with intense curiosity and, dare I say it, _love_.

"Why are you laughing?" Percy asked, bemused. He was expecting her to be angry or to cry or anything between those lines, but laughing? Jumping off a cliff might have been overkill and tipped her a little.

Her laughter stopped shortly and she settled a glare. "I can't believe I forgot that you're a demon spawn of _Poseidon_."

It was Percy's turn to laugh. Jumping off cliffs with his father's waves to catch him was his idea of crazy, right?

He wrapped his arms around her as she muttered rants about how stupid it was to do cliff diving and how she panicked and almost died of cardiac arrest and ordered him not to do it again. With Annabeth beside him, inside a gigantic air bubble underwater, with a school of fish watching two humans like a soap opera, everything turned out to be different from what he imagined.

It was better.

Annabeth sighed. "You are such a Seaweed Brain."

He chuckled and kissed his best friend on the forehead. "I love you too, Annabeth."

She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.

In the back of his mind, Percy thought that maybe… he'd get his happy ending after all…

…0…

And back on Mount Olympus, Eris and Aphrodite laughed, sharing a couple of high fives.

(Just so you'd know…)

* * *

**A/N: Still ended it with a happy, underwater kiss…**

**And that was the (epic) ending of this story. The apple, the accidental detour to Paris, the old, Parisian man with the sunken cheekbones, Ysidra, the cliff diving… The gods and the Fates had always found a way to weave Percy and Annabeth together. Just a hint. **

**Thank you all very much for the unending stream of encouragement you've given me. Thank you for the advice, the assists to improve this story. I am forever grateful to have such readers. Acknowledgements would be posted soon after. Still contemplating with my BR whether to continue, but as of today, I conclude this story to be complete.**

**Thank you everyone!**

**Please review! Reviews are greatly welcomed! To flaming reviewers, I would honor your opinions…**

**And would gladly do so.**

**Thanks so much, guys! Review!**


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